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97-1322�� E,� be� 1 / /S/y'7 Council File �` `�� t h L " L- Ordinance # Green Sheet # vv� � I RESOLUT{0111 Presented Referred 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 il 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 i2 �3 ¢ 5 6 7 3 � WHEREAS, lristoric preservation and new development aze compatible parmers and both aze important to the health, vitality and welfare of the city; and WfIEREA5, Saint Paul's lristory is strong part of the city's identity and physical evidence of that history enriches the city's ueighbozhoods �d downtown; and WHEREAS, growth and new development aze also essential to the city's heakh, yet historic buildings and sites are too often viewed as obsolete and eapendable in order to accommodate new developme�rt; and WFIEREAS, �ampies of historic buildings that have been integated with new development, some of which had been threatened with demolition, include the 7ackson Street Shops at Empire Builder Park, the Landmark Center, the McColl Building adjacent to Galtier Plaza, Blair House and Hill Plaza at SelbyiWestern, the Como Shops (Bandana Square, etc.) in Energy Park, and the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis; and WHEREAS, the Dahl House is now threateved with demolition; and WHEREAS, ffie William and Catherine Dahl House at 136 Thirteenth Street was constructed in 1858, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is historically significant as the last surviving residence in the once-residential Lowertown azea (that area which developed around the Lower Landing), as the oldest s(ructure in the State Capitol azea, as a raze eacample of a Greek Revival siyle residence, and as an eacpression both of the growth and change of Saint Paul over the past 139 years and of modest, worldng class housing that was most common in Saint Paul; and WHEREAS, arclritectural lustorian Jef&ey Hess has written that the Dahl House is "the best surviving example of the city's modest, one-story frame houses of the 1850s' ; and WHEREAS, Yhe Saint Paul City Cowicil passed a resolution in 1976, when the Dahi House was also threatened by demolition, recording "its intent to investigate a11 avenues of preserving tlris lristoric structure on its present site", which resolution led to a reuse feasibility study conducted for the Ciry wlrich concluded that "a careful analysis of the William Dahl House indicates that the building is in excellart condirion, [and] can be restored to its original design and preserved for a n�ber of adaptive uses"; and WHEREAS, ihe State Depazlment of Adruinistrafion was required by state law to conduct a reuse feasibility sludy of the Dahl House and that 1992 report recognized the significance of the house and recommended that "reuse of the Dahl House be focnsed on incorporating it into a lazger development on the blcek' ; and WI�REAS, the original plaas for the State's new Depuhuent of Revenue building currently under conshuction on the block surrounding the Dahl House called for preservation and reuse of the Dahl House in conjunction with the new building but that outcome is now very uncertain and the State has eacpressed a lack of interest in preserving the Dahl House; and WHEREAS, private individuais and organizations and all levels of govemmem have a shazed responsibility to act as stewazds of ow cultwal heritage for current and firture generations; and CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MlNNESOTA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 il 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 q�-i3aa WHEREAS, continual phmdering of lristoric stcuchues obliterates a sense of place and tristory, diminishes the richness of the built environment, and is imnecessary; NOW, THEREFORE, BE TT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Saint Paul declazes that it is in the public interest and welfaze to preserve historically and arclritectivally significant buildings and to incorporate th� into new developmentprojeots; and BE TT F[TRTHER RESOLVED that the City Council strongly encourages the State of Minnesota to preseive, restore, and reuse the William and Catherine Dahl House on the Department of Revenue site as originally planned and in keeping with the recommendation of the State's 1992 reuse study; and BE TT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Council requests the m;ni�tion to direct staff in PED and LIEP to work with the State of Minnesota towards this end. Requested by Department of: Certi£ied by Council Secretary ss= y �� a i--� �. ,� / Appraned by Mayor: Date i✓ �21�7— By: i �_�� '� � / �— By: Form Approved by City Attorney By: Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council By: Adopted by Council: Date��_5 �'� o��r 30. iss7 I GREEN SHEET Jerry Blakey 6R611 .:...�-�^a TOTAL � OF SIGNATURE PAGES q� �t��— No 606�1 U oo.e,�n ewEnae U anca.o� — ❑ arcwrroiwtv ❑ arvaaK _ ❑wuxeu�awweFSO�c ❑rwxo��aaxvi.�ero ❑wva+etq�4aaanwn ❑ (CLJP ALL LOCATIONS FOR SiGNATURE) Encouraging the State Departmem of Revenue to find a good reuse of the Dahl house and also encoivaging Minnesota Mutval to consider the possibility of incozporating the Cazdozo building into Sts new project. PLANNING COMMISSION CIB COMMfTTEE CIVIL SERVICE CAMMISSION rara� aawurrr oF TnaeisnenoH s qSONAlSERVICE CONiRACTS MUS� ANSWER TNE FOLLAWiN6 QUESSIONSi Fles tn�s personlBrm everworicea urMe. a coMract ror fhic tlepartmenn VES NO tiea Uis aeBOMrm e�er tcen a ciry dnpoyee9 YES NO Dces Mts parsoNGm1 pmees6 a Slall not namallypoacessetl by any Wnent dty emplOyee7 YES NO IaMiapereonlfirmafatg�etivatWOYl � . YES NO cosrmEV�ue euocerEC laac� owq �i�:P NNDING SOURCE AGTIVIT' NUMBER 1NONCWI MFORMnTON IEtPINN) Council File # �[�—i!�aa RESOLUTION NT PAUL, MINNESOTA Presented Referred To Green Sheet # GO L � � Committee Date � 1 WHEREAS, historic preservation and new development aze comparible pariners and both aze importaut to the ealth, vitality 2 and welfaze of the city; and 3 WHEREAS, Saint Paul's history is strong part of the city's identity and physical evidence of that his ry enriches the city's 4 neighborhoods and downtown; and S WHEREAS, growth and new development are also essential to the ciry's healtYi, yet historic ildings and sites are too often 6 viewed as obsolete and expendable in order to accommodate new development; and 7 WHEREAS, examples of historic buildings that have been integrated with new evelopment, some of which had been 8 threatened with demolition, include the Jackson Street Shops at Empire Build Pazk, the Landmark Center, the McColl 9 Building adjacent to Galtier Plaza, Blair House and Hill Piaza at Selbyf Weste , the Como Shops (Bandana Square, etc.) in 1 Q Energy Pazk, and the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis; and ll WHEREAS, rivo buildings of historical significance, the Dahl House d the CardozoBremer Building, are now tiireatened 12 demolition; and 13 WHEREAS, the William and Catherine Dahl House at 13 irteenth Street was constructed in 1858, is listed on the 14 National Register of Historic Places, and is historically si ificant as the last surviving residence in the once-residenrial 15 Lowertown atea (that area which developed atound the L er Landing), as the oldest structure in the State Capitol area, as 16 a raze e�unple of a Greek Revival style residence, and an eapression both of the growth and change of Saint Paul over the 17 past 139 years and of modest, working class housin at was most common in Saint Paul; and 18 WFIEREAS, architectural hastorian Jef&ey Hes as written that the Dahl House is "the best surviving example of the city's 19 modest, one-story frame houses of the 185Qs", and '.0 WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Cou 1 passed a resolution in 1476, when the Dahl House was also threatened by 1 demolition, recording "its intent to in tigate all avenues of preserving this historic structure on its present site", which 2 resolution led to a reuse feasibility s y conducted far the Ciry which concluded that "a cazefui analysis of the William Dahl 3 House indicates that the building ' in excellent condition, [and] can be restored to its original design and preserved for a 4 number of adaprive uses' ; and i WHEREAS, the State D artment of Administration was required by state law to conduct a reuse feasibility study of the i Dahl House and that 19 report recognized the significance of the house and recommended that "reuse of the Dahl House ` be focused on inco rating it into a lazger development on the block' ; and WFIEREA�fhe original plans for the State's new Department of Revenue building cutrently under consiruction on the block sunounding the Dahl House called for preservation and reuse of the Dahl House in conjunction with the new building but that outcome is now very uncertaiu and the State has expressed a lack of interest in preserving the Dahl House; and WHEREAS, private individuals and organizarions and all leveis of government have a shazed responsibility to act as stewazds 1 of our cultural heritage for current and future generafions; and q�-►�� WHEREAS, the Cazdozo Fumiture Company Building (a.k.a. the Bremer Tower) at 82 East Seventh Place was designed by Ellerbe Architects, was constnxcted in 1931, and is architecturally significant as an example of a mid-rise Art Deco sTyle building; and 5 WHEREAS, Minnesota Mutual plans to demolish the Cazdozo Building as part of its new building project; and 6 WHEREAS, incorporation of ffie Cazdozo Building into Minnesota Mutual's project would preserve an 7 si�ificant building and add to the richness of the urban fabric in downtown; and / 8 WHEREAS, many if not most of the historic buildings in the center of downtown have been cle ed by urban renewal, 9 resulting in a loss of character and an historic sense of place; and 10 W HEREAS, continual plundering of historic shuctures obliterates a sense of place and hi ry, diminishes the richness of 11 the built environment, and is unnecessary; 12 NOW, 'I'HEREFORE, BE TT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Saint Pa declazes that it is in the public interest 13 and welfaze to preserve historically and architecturally significant buildings and incorporate them into new development 14 projects; and 15 BE TT FITI2THER RESOLVED that the City Council strongly encoura s the State of Minnesota to 16 preserve, restore, and reuse the William and Catherine Dahl House on th epartment of Revenue site as originally planned 17 and in keeping with the recommendation of the State's 1992 reuse s y; and 18 BE TT TiJRTAER RESOLVED that the Council strongly encoura es Minnesota Mutual to cazefully consider the possibility 19 of incorporating the Cardozo Building (or at least its facades) ' its new project; and 20 BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Council directs city 21 Minnesota Mutual towuds these ends and to include rec 22 guidelines being prepazed by the City for the Minnesota�Gtu ' in PED and LIEP to work with the State of Minnesota and on of the Cazdozo Building's significance in the desi� project. Requested by Department of: Bostrom Collins Harris Mega Morton Thune Adopted by Councilf' Date Adoption � by CouncIl 5ecretary Approved by Mayor: Date � Form Approved by Ciry Attorney � Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council � � `��-13a�- CTTY OF SAINT PAUL Norm Coleman, Mayor 2 October 1997 Mr. Julio Fesser, Manager, Space Planning Minnesota Mutual 4U0 North Robert Street Saint Paul, MN 55101 Deaz Mr. Fesser: HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION do LIEP Telepi�ne: 612-2669087 350 Saint Peter Strea #300 Facsimile: 611-2669099 Snint Paut, Minnesota 55702-IS10 The Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) of the City of Saint Paul briefly discussed, at its October 25, 1997 meeting, your new building project in downtown Saint Paul. The commission voted 10 - 0 to send a letter strongly encouraging you to incorporate the historic Cardozo Furniture Company Buiiding (a.k.a. the Bremer Tower) into the project. While commission members aze very pleased about your new building and what it means for downtown Saint Paul, we also believe that historic preservation and new development aze compatible partners and together enhance, in this case, the vitality and special qualities of downtown Saint Paul. It is important to preserve and reuse the Cazdozo Building both because of its azchitectural significance and because of the contribution it makes to the urban fabric of downtown. The building was designed by Ellerbe Architects, was built in 1931, and, according to the 1983 Saint PauURamsey County Historic Sites Survey, is eligible for the Nationai Register of Historic Places. It is a significant Art Deco style building that has lost its Inster but has great potentia] for rehabilitation. The most significant intact features are the brick bas relief friezes at the top, and the typicalty bold and simple horizontal soIdier courses beriveen floors and the vertical bands between window bays. Some significant details, including the base and the banding on windows and spandrels, have been removed but could be replaced (see the enclosed historic photograph for a glimpse of the missing window and spandre] detail which appears to be similaz to ihat found on our Ciry HaillCourthouse building). (Aiso please note that the original 1931 drawings of the Cardozo Building are at Ellerbe Becket in Minneapolis; they show details such as sandblasted prism glass ventilators at the mezzanine level which are visible in the hisYoric photograph.) The Cazdozo Building is also important in the context of 3ate 1920s and 1930s Art Deco buildings in downtown Saint Paul, of which there aze eleven extant ranging in size from smaii to large. The Ellerbe fum designed not only the Cardozo Building but also the magnificent City HalUCourthouse and the N.S.P. Building (now occupied by Ecoiab) at the southeastem corner of Wabasha and East Fifth stceets. While the Cazdozo $uilding is, indeed, I believe, uchitecturally significant and worthy of preservation, it is not a landmazk building of the most pivotal quality or character. Adding to the building's importance, however, is the role it plays in the urban fabric of downtown. Historic and azchitecturally distinguished bui3dings enrich the city, delighY the eye, tell the story of the city's development and Mr. Jalio Fesser 2 October1997 Page Two people, and help to create a sense of ptace that is, in part, roated in history. The preservation and incorporation of the Cazdozo Building into your project would provide a nice complexity, character, and richness to your project and to the downtown fabric and sVeetscape. We know too well the legacy of urban renewai clearance; more often than not it is btand and soulless buildings, glaces, and streetscapes that obliterate a sense of place anc3 history. The Cazdozo Buildiag is at the edge of the core of downtown that was lazgely cleared for redevelopmeni since the late 1950s. If one stands at t[ie comers of Sixth and Minnesota and Sixth and Robert, the southem corners of the planned new development, one sees in ait directions mostiy bland, chazacterless, modem buildings that do faz too little to entiven the streets and enrich the city; one sees few, if any, historic buildings. While the core of downtown is framed by the beautiful, historic areas of Lowertown and Rice Pazk, the core iueff has lost many wonderful historic buildings. I would encourage you to carefully consider the feasibitity of incorporating the Cazdozo $uiiding into your project. A second to last resort, short of outright demolition, would be to incorporate only the two street-facing facades into the new projeci (known as facadism or facadectomy). I would expect some to say that the need for pazking simply requues clearance of the entire block; I would encowage you to carefully consider the options. As HPC Vice-Chair Chazles Skrief said at last week's HPC meeting, the Cazdozo Building is a quintesseniial Saiat Paul bnilding and to save it is what distinguishes Saint Paul from our neighbor, Minneapolis. Please call me at 296-1273, or the HPC staff person, Aazon Rubenstein, at 266-9087, if you would like to discuss this issue. I would also 2ike to iavite yov to attend the October 23, 1997 meeting of the HeriTa$e Preservation Commission. Sincerely, � �� Tracey Baker, air Heritage Preservation Commission cc: Mayor Coleman City Councilmembers John Lund, Minnesota Mutual George Fremder, Minnesota Mutual Cazl Remick, Architeetural Alliance Tom DeAngelo, Architecturat Alliance Dennis Mulvey, McGough Construction Robert Kessler, LIEP Pam Wheelock, PED Lucy Thompson, PED Mazgot Fehrenbacher, PED Bill Morin, Port Authority Mary Netson, CapitotRiver Councit . -: i ��: .• 14 •�� : i r S � ' y� f'� . pk • 7 .�il C.? i. l r ' . tl f `'. :r �i� :;{' .;, . a �`:. r� : :'•, �.� . ' ! :� � j . .i • E: ,,� ��: :- _ y . '} �� • �7 �•. :�� .Z' ; ; , I � ` :> � � ii✓� �J,. �n✓i - :1-.:. � Y a 9 OFFSCE OF LICENSE, II3SPECT{ONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEC170N Robe�t Kessle� Disecto� CITY OF SAINT PAUL Norn+Coleman, Mayor FAX MEMO To: From: Governor Arne CarLson JAWRYPROFESSIONAL BUILD7NG Suite 300 350 St Peter Street Safnt Panl, Mweesota 55101-I510 Lt. Governor Joanne Benson MHS Director Nina Archabal DOA Commissioner Elaine Hansen CAAPB Exec. Sect. Nancy Stark fax: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation staff tel 256-9087 fas 266-9099 Date: 25 September 1997 Totai pages including cover memo: 3 296-2089 296-2089 296-1004 297-7909 296-6718 q � -►�lY Telephone: 612-266-9090 Facsimi(e: 6t2-266-9U99 Message: Attached is a resolution passed this evening by the City of Saint Paul's Heritage Preservation Commission which addresses the importance of the threatened Dahl House and encourages you to preserve and reuse it, on site, as part of the Department of Revenue project. Please contact me, or the Chair of the Heritage Preservation Commission, Tracey Baker (she can be reached at 296-1273 or the letterhead address), if you wish to discuss this matter. cc: Mayor Coleman City Councilmembers Robert Kessler, LIEP Director Pam Wheelock, PED D'uector Preservation Alliance of Minnesota Dennis Gimmestad, SHPO/MI3S °(� ��'� CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION RESOLUTION FILE NUMBER 97-1 DATE 25 September 1997 W�iEREAS, the William and Catherine Dahl House at 136 Thirteenth Street was constructed in 1&58 (with an historically compatible 1886 reaz addition and an historically incompatible 1962 reaz addition); and WHEREAS, the Dahl House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is historically significant as the ]ast surviving residence in the once-residential Lowertown azea (that azea which devetoped around the Lower I,anding), as the oldest struciure in the State Capitol azea, as a rare example of a Greek Revival style residence, and as an expression both of the growth and change of Saint Paul over the past 139 yeazs and of modest, warking class housing that was most common in Saint Paul; and WHEREAS, the building may appeaz today to the uninformed eye to be unremarkabie, dilapidated, and of little or no value but actually has great value and potential for resYoration; and FVHEREAS, architecturai historian Jeffrey Hess has written that the Dahl Aouse is "the best surviving example of the city's modest, one-story frame houses of the 185Qs", that "well articulated examples of the Greek Revival are extremely rare among surviving St. Paui buildings", and that: At first glance, the Dahl House does not look like a building worth fighting for. Its unassuming appeazance, however, is the key to its historical importance. The building graphica]ly illustrates the sQeed and simplicity of most antebellum residential construction in St. Paul. Over the years, the Dahi House has been altered ... but the original, 1850s, gable-roofed section is still cleazly visibie; and WHEREAS, it is imgortant to preserve, in addition to Summit Avenue mansions of the wealthy, evidence of the lives and history of common people; and WI�REAS, the State Department of Administration was required by state law to conduct a reuse feasibility study of the Dahl House and that 1492 report recognized the significance of the house and recommended that "reuse of the Dahl House be focused on incorporating it into a larget development on the block';and WHEREAS, the Dahl House was nearly demolished in ihe mid-1970s to provide space for underground gas storage tanks, survived twenty more yeazs, and was then Lo be incorporated into the State Department of Revenue building project currenfly being constructed on the block but that outcome now appears uncertain; and WHEREAS, the 1977 National Register nomination reported the condition of the Dahl House to be exceilent though it now appeazs to be significantly deteriorated due to lack of maintenance and protection, and Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission ResoIution File #97-1 Page Two WHEREAS, preservation and development often make good partners where there is the wi11, and continual ptundering of historic artifacts and structures obtiterates a sense of piace and history, diminishes the richness of the built environmettt, and is unnecessary; and WHEREAS, moving the Dahl House away from its original location would significantly detract from the buiIding's historic value; part of its historic significance is its location and moving it to a residential neighborhood that developed later in time would resutt in a confusing and inappropriate context; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Heritage Preservation Commission eRCOUrages, in the strongest way possible, Govemor Carlson, Lieutenant Govemor Bensoa, Departmeni of Administration Commissioner Hansen, Minnesota Historical Society Director and State Historic Preservation O�cer Archabal, and Capitot Area Architectural and Ptanning Boazd Executive Secretary Stark to preserve, restore, and rease the William and Catherine Daht House on the Department of Revenue site as originally planned and in keeping with ihe recommendatioa of the State's 1992 reuse study; and BE TT F'URTHER RESOLVED that the Heritage PreservaUon Commission of the Ciry of Saint Paul offers whatever assistance it can toward the preservation and reuse of the Dahi House; and $E TT FINALLY RESOLVED that Lhe Heritage Preservation Commission reminds these disYinguished $tate officers that it is the responsibility of the state, as for all levels of govemment, to provide stewardship of historic properties and resources for current and future generations. MOVED BY Skrief SECONDED BY Hazgens IN FAVOR 10 AGAIl�IST 0 ABSTAIN 0 W a m w � 6 a � 6 z 'a N Y N i V j x i �. � Y r ^ t� � � N � v � � � �: � T'�"� • � .� � . _ ` O-: '+,r� � � -r � � ^ � � � � '�i/ p"'1 . �.:' y ' _' _ O� mG 9 r A C � m � 4 G � � i � m � m O —ac n�y %a— �— a ° o t�L F t 3 Ts ' c dO i��. �" � L O � N � � O �O �y o j 'y . ir ��p 0. .� y �3 EEe"' ..,p mv m: iy o �6 = y d f' _� W y C y O Q �O y�Y 4 y6 N C9 d d �WVI � s� `�9a3�o .`� d>.`�oo > 0 ia�' m 3 ..�.`o �s c �°�' 6�i.�n O:r G d 6v.'i��T t m � Y'> W � R �O o�c� EcG°E� b 0 � 0 V � W � } W 4 R ." % . L� d i' 3 f�^ E� �" a�" y o p � E w� c ` � � _ � d 0.'� � q y w�+u cm4y ' > Qi ��d g Q B[C sa,>�..j�q� SLOO ��9��OW[Y. L d �__ °i�e°a` W'S� ^1 3 0 y R w � L y} O $ F V W O r� tia° ''0.' 0 ' = �d o v a E p .� y c ° c m""E d v E3 >.'_ dv 3:: a. m C y y a+ = u v:°.`°°eC m A N 3� � F W N N A y � s=.. . mma��e °p s e � a N�Crr 3'mv E �a. ca� m � y�a d:v a�i'L�m py �nsuc`E am...; k.b-'>ma� �+m�o� c n`a`°i"aS.o-°-otcxi a�� o c�ia� d o�� o ,g 9 � � � > .. ,� < .. o ..a��Qi�� a C O Y " R o��mawvd�°z� � U C = y��Qi 4 ` V� d 9 � F" N�' N� 3 y 0. O u � L 'e -� y ;a'"m" m`� o C m w— � E y i°°a Z u.c � a '>-0 N m��O v � � � X•�� a g .�' ��•� 0 � •_ � � •� 3 h 0 3 O � e G�� .131�' mmx qEc F +�.r G 3 y' C .�. V � p dam yd U a � �a� �d� � ,., o'E m m u� � ;rsd m � Q�� >AI�i PnIL PIO�EER PRE5S q �1-��'� REVENU� ♦ CONiINUEOFROM IB town and unavailable for com- ment. "IYs important to the city's re7ationship mith the state and a great coatributar to our increasing urban vitality." "We are ezcited that the new revenue facility wi3f remain m St. Paul," said Administratioo Com- missioner Elaine Hansen. "The pro}ect location represents the SWte of Minnesota's and ihe Cip; oE St. PauPS long-term develop- ment plans to tie the State Capitol complex and downtown business d'utrict more dosely together." "I thiak it's probably a good de- cision from the standpoint oE pea ple taking buses," said Donita Haack, head of a hfinnesota :1sso- ciation of Professional Employees union chapter that includes sever al department employees. A move to Inver Grove Heigkts �rau(d bave required establishing nem Dus routes for commuting employ- ees. The state was unable to reach a purcLase agteemeat with Trooien for the building they are leasing. It offered a maximam of $23 mif- lioo for the structure that state afiicials said need extensive re- modeling to accommodate new tecAnology aed space needs. "S don't know that Ym the loset. 1 thmk the tazpayers ot Minnesoca are Ne tosers;' said Trooien. He said the state could have pur- chased and remodeled his building ac a total cost of 540 million to Si: mi11i0n, saving taxpayers more than E30 million. The state, hoRever, dispute8 those figures and was under a tegislative man- da:e to gi��e preference to She Cap- itol site. Trooien sa�d he wil! seek ne� tenants for [he building. The option o[ building in the CapitoS complex sudaced in the citc s legisia[ive delegation, who were alarmed over tne possi6fe move to Inver Grove Heigh[s. Spearhead by Sen. Richard Cohen, a DFI.er who chairs a key state gorernment finance committee, tAe delega[ion rounded up biparti- san support to designate a Capitol tocatsan as the preferred site. A macimum ot g)5 mlllion }cas ap- propriated. A:ter reviewing three proposals, a usk force of state agencies se- lec[ed a glan submitted by Ham- mel Green and Abrahamson Archi- tecu and Ryan Construction. One concetn wa: the preserva- tion of tAe William Dah] House at 336 13th St., a cacant one-story Greek Revival broadside home built in 1856. It is the last remain- ing residence in the city's Lower- town a�ea. Owned by the state, it was placed on the National Regu- ter o( Historic Places in 1918. It was built by William Daht, who came from England to St. Pavi when Dfinnesota was still a tetri- cory. He was a shopkeeper and worked as a cleck, census taker and general agent far the Hudson Bay Co.The father of Archbishop John Ireland atso u�orked on con- structian ot the house. The state proposes to restore it and use it as a tax form center adjacent to the new building, an option it is discussing with the state Historical Society. �� VIONfER �RESS The site for the new Minnasota Revenue DeDartment building is adJacent to tha Dahl Housa at 36 13th St. The architecturalty signiftcant dwefiing, which will be preserved, is the tast reeiCence in tha immetllate area; the father of Archbishop John Irsiand wo[ketl on cnnstructtun of the house. � � � �� FILE: WILLIAM DAAL HOBSE, 136 TAIRTEENTH ST., ST. PAUL Construction of - Revenue building to start t�iis vveek ■ Historic Daht House:Mrill be preserved _ and_ incorporated. into. new structure ' � GARY �AWSON'sra�wwrEa ; S omething v¢ry oid and somettdng brand new will be included in the new state Revenue Department building when constnya tion gets under wap in the Capitol azea this week, Tbe historic Dah( House, an 1858 structure t6at is the last remaining home from Lowertown, St� Pau1's first major resi- dential arna wilI be preserved and incorporated into the rev- enue building°s north entraace plaza. While preserving the old,�the state is ringing in a new era with tt�e first rnnctruclion of aa office building to house state agencies in the Capito! .area since the Administration Building was compteted in 1967. `�'he project s6ows our commitment to the wre cities and to keeping the Capitot complex intact, Gov. Arne Carlson said wLen he announced a gronndbreaking ceremony woald be at 11 a.m. Wednesdap. -- (continuea next page) From: St. P•�:il Pioneer Press, Monday, September 1, 1997 q�.��2-y FILE: _ 4C F WILLIAM DAAL HOUSE� 136 THIRTEENTH ST., ST. PAUL �REVENUE ' '-� CDNTiNUEDFROM iC "•� 'After 30 years of agencies eait- �:ing the azea to lease or buiid need• '��-ed larger offices elsewhere, Yhe ';;'.�building is the first structure to be ••,,,�: built in the Capitot comples tmder :� aa master plan nnveiled in 1994. In `�� that plan, Carlson and the Admin- °��isEration DeparLment ptoposed :::. the CapiWi the focus of • �+':4uture state government construc- "_tion. ._ But until this pear, the Legisla- .�: ttire balked at the idea. Renting or •�•. building outside the Capitol azea �;,; has Deen a cheap, popular alterna- ., .Gve to complying svith tpe p,apen. .�_�sive desi�n regulations goveraing `coastructson in the historic Capitol - yope. - - When the Revenue Department ':' decided !o move aut of its cunent •�-headquarters at 10 River Place — ``: across the Mississippi River from ";;,�.downtown St. Paul — bq Novem- _^ber 1998, S� Paal legislators won MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1997, a hard-fought battle in the 1997 legislative session to keep the agency in the city. The four-story building housing 1,200 employees will be located immediately north of Interstate 94 betweea Robert and Jackson streets. • It will include a 941-car parking ramp to the wesi across Robert Stteet and north of Columbus Ave- nue, adjacent to the Ceatennial The building is the �irst stcucture to be buitt in the Capitol complex uader a master pian unveiled in 1994. Building Parking Ramp. A 50- space pubiic parking lot wili be located north of the IIa1il House and the affice bui(ding, with 13ih Street being vacated. State officials are discussin& a proposal ta use the house as a tourist information center for the Capitol area. The state-owned home is a va- cant one-story Greek Revival broadside built in 1858 by William Dahl. Emigrating from England to SG Paul when the state mas still a territory, he was a shopkeeper, census taker, derk and a genera] agentfor the Hudson Bay Co. One of the partners of the home's building contractor, Rich- ard Ireland, was the father of Archbishop John Ireland. The state proposes to raise t6e house seven feet to make iY level with the first floor of the Revenue Building and temove a 1962 din- ing-recreatiun room additioa that is not consistent with Yhe original architecture. The home was origi- nalty a 20-by.30-foot structure. A kitchen added in 1886 would be kept. The house was placed on the Na[ional Register of Historic Places in 1978. From: St. Paul Pioneer Press, t9onc�ay, Seotemb?r 1, 1947 SI.PP�U� p1oNEER- P�SS, 9�1�•57, FP•IR,4A Historic ho«se se�ks shelter iii b�lr�aucratic �tarnl �ARRY M�ILETi s:ur aau[a P'S.s hisforic monomenls go, thc U'�Iliam Deh{ housc on Ilth Strce[ in St. Paul uill necer 6e eon(used uith Ne Taj M1Sahal. Exr.pt for a{eu teiltale Jetails, the stucro-Nad, one-story house might udi pass toC a 195US-eintagc bungalow somchow mamuned in lSc shadon of ihc SW[e CapiLOl. . Yet beneath its many layers ut remodeling. ihc housc liaz a ton� and fascinu(ing history lfiat goes ali ihc uay back to 7858, tlie } 1Sin- nesota became a statc. It x�as Luil� tor Dahl, an Englisb immigran[. and fiis irish wife, and is descrilxJ Ly SL Yaul 6uWrian .lamcs Sazecich as "a umyue Is��losic resoutce" in lhe C1�VlUi �iCB. :�ow, hox�cvcr, this unassuming and unlikely urUan survivor hzs become tLe cenlerpi�re af a moun4 ing presen•aLOm m�troceay. r1i issue is x�hclhcr thc long- vacant house, owned by the state , HOUSE cor.u::um w+ 4A � TTe Dehl Houae, datlny to 1858, Ii "e YniquO �IB- totic rosourco.'• aays St. Paul hIs- fo�lan /ames Sa- zerlch. But the CaDitol•aroa landmark may �are to De movoE or Eomol- IMaE fo make way tor a new 370 mlUlon build- tn¢ Galne con• structod tortho Minnewte Revo- mo Dopartmon2. PIQIIEER PRE55 H��-Iistoric bu�ld:�g's fa�e �ow u��ertain ♦ CoNrwuFA vRW u sincc 7972, should bc inwrporated into a nem t10 million building being construcb ed for the ldianrsoW Revenue Depart- menL U tLe house, wMch is listed on the National Rcgistcr oF Historic Places, isn't induded in tbe Revenue Department project, theo it uill either have to be mwed or. more likely, demolished. Tbose possibilities do not set we7l with preservalionisLs like Sazevich, who has 9pCpl yeats documenting the Dahl house's history. '4 think it would make a perfect liitle �ffice tor oue of We smallet state agen- •iev," he says. 'YCs chazmiag. 1t's }ast he right humaa scale." As o( ualy CRO weeks ago, the house �as in tact ioctnded'io architects' plans x the new Revenue Building. Since iea, the house seems tu have disap- eaced from those p3ans, for reasous that ren't entirely dcar. Elaine HaaSCa, state administration +mmissioner, says lhe problem is that ere is no money in tbe budget to re� xe and adapt the house, which by one chiteMY eslimale rnvid cost as much i{00.000 — a figure Sazevich contends 8rosstq infSated. This is w6ere the situation becomes uusing. Hansen uys the project Dud- : dces include 5350,000 to'•protect" t�c iae trom danuge mhite the Revenue tlding is going up directly bchind it. 'et the state has only now begun to IerWce a study, with t6e fdinneSOW Wrical Society, to detetmiae wpetker Uie Dousc can in tact bc reuscd on lhis S{LC. So why has the sWle budgcteJ §350,000 to "protecP' a propefty it is nul even sure it Las a use tot? liansen says lhc sW tc is simply foliox•- ing the letter of thc la�r as it applica to designated historic 7roperties. LA Gov. Joanne Benson, trho chairs Ihe Capita! Atca Architectutal and Ptanning Board, is less cerWm a6out aiwt ttie $350,00� is inteuded Lar, sa�mg, "1 don't tiunk there's a clear unde:star.�ling of Utat situaUon." Nonetheless, Benson says she does 5upport Nc reusc s:udy. What is clear is that the Revenue De- partment projcet is moving forward at warp speed, xitL Ihe nea• 100,000-square- foot building scheduled to open by ha vember 1998, m4en tde department must vacate ifs current headquarlets on thc A'est Side nvcrtront. Tlils tast construction pace may heip explain w�h}� the tate of the Dakl lmuse scems to have become such a last-miaute cansidcration. AMthe[ problem is Shat the houx is a bureaucraGC orphan Shat no state agency wishes ta claim as its oa�n. StaLc-ow�ncd properues, Wstoric or not, normalty arc under the contrnl of a specitic deparG ment. But thc Dahl House, for somc rca- son, is owned by thc ;tatc Sn general, and so far no ageney or �eparUncnt has vol- unteered to take on the expense of restor- ing and mainWining it. Nor is Wcrc any doubt that thc house nceds some sigriiIIcant mstoralion 6e- youd the iuuc af its potcr.tiat usc. The Lousc has�txo�additions, usually high stonc basement (thc house was raised in thc 1DDOs to accommodale a gradc change) and u likcly have to 6e raised ano�hcr seven tmt to fit m w•it4 U�e Revenue DeQartment pto}ect. Thcre arc also qucctians a: W how mucL of the l�euse is in facl original.One state archLLCCturat adviser [hinF;s that on- ly aboul 15 perecnt ot whaCs 3ett in lhe Louse dates to thc 1850s, an assessment Sauvic6 vigorously disputes. \fcanuhile, kiaosen noees thal prescr- vationists havc had more than 20 yean to offer a wori:ablc p7�n for reusing Wc house but so far "no one has stepped forxard" Sazwich, howeveq contends the 5tate lias made 3ittic or no efiort ovcr the ycan to find a suiWble usc tor the prop- crtv. 5o pas5ionate is SazeviCL about the house that he Las even put together a "top 12° list of rcasons it should be pt� scrved. Among them: The 6ouse is the oldest survir�m6 stmc(ure in the SWte Capitol arw; iPS one of lhe 20 oldrst houses any�nc�rc in S4 Paul; it was 6vilt by Richard Ireland, father of Johp Ire� land, ihe famed archbishop of SL Paul; and, perdaps musl �mpartanE, the houtc is an cxccllent exampte ot tke kind o[ modest dweliing thc �carl;ing penple ot St. Paul — as opposed W the naDobs of Surnmit Ave�me — once lived in. Itut as construction moves iuexorab1y foru•ard an the new Revenue Bnilding, pressure to remove thc house seems like- ly to grow, in which casc it may finallq becomc a house x a home. ��. � Y� �� , l ��,y St. Paul weighs merits - and #ate - of 1858 house By Curt Brown Star?riGune Stnjf l9'riter Bulldozers rumble around the 139-pear- old 11'illiam Dah! House, the last ti+•orking- class cottage left from the thrivingSt. Paul immigranc neighborhood slo�+�ly consumed by the spreading State Capito! complex Some ten�ent presen�ationists, including Daht's 86-cear-oid great-grandson, hope cheir cties to save the simple Iittle house can be heard over the roar otthe earth-mo��ing equipment preparing the way for the state Reeenue Department's new 570 miliion home, scheduled to open next year. ' But they're worried. Awfutly i+�orried. Gov. Arne Carlson called the Dahl House "ug}y" at the Revenue Building ground- breaking last month. He joins a group of state bureaucrats, architects and histozians, induding'.lacalester College Prof. David Ianegran, ti•ho insist that demotishing or mo��ng che oft-remodeled old house i+•ould be no great loss. But last u+�eek a strongly worded resolu• tion seeking to sa��e the Dahl House was approved by the St, Paut Heritage Preserva- tion Commissian. TY�rn fo HOUSf on 84 �Chr�Tt��avur , IU•t.g� ��. 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G u E- a+ .. � ^ " � = e O . � F -e_n.,e=c=°�o� ��c��y�cn��c=cn� � O�VLr�__ n��: 4�.^rV� w L��VULCCIC_� OE �_ __O�VGYV�VI�fVC'C�r'YiynGOFA43n�VV Y '�� c' pu'_ona�.3^�C=��=�ox �$ �.._� �...=o�u=_ `�cE c`�.c= y �S -�� ' ` L6 • i �o� `anas�izl -��+�,5 . . y � � = C .� N � n r `o� .p D � V = O `^- .� � What's Historic About this Site? 7�ie Dahl House: The Last of Old Lvwertown Editor's Note: 77iis is the frrst in a series of arricles on Ramsey Counry's historic sires x=hich will be published in fonh- cor7:ing issues of Ramsey County History. I� ne of the most unlikely of Ramsey Counry's historic sites, for those of us who think of them in terms ofthe mansions ofthe rich, is a one-story, stucco-covered cottage on the edge of the approach to the capitol. Bui the William Dahl house at 136 Thir- teenth Street, deserves its listing on the Nationat Rezister of Hisroric Places as the last survivins residence of the once- residential Lowertown district. William Dahl, who came to Min- nesota Territory from En:land about 1844, was a man of several occupations. Early St. Paul tecords (ist him as a clerk, census taker, shopkeeper and general aLent for the Hudsons Bay Company. In 1857 Aahl purchased a lot on the edLe of Lowertown and around the cor- ner from the sturdy two-story stone structure fur trader Norman Kittson was building onJacksonbetween Twelfthand Thineenth Streets. Dahi completed his wood frame Greek Rivival cotta=e the fo(lowing summer. His contractor was Ireland and Donavan. The "Ireland" in the partnership was Richard Ireland, Nhose son, Jahn, became the first arch- >ishop of St. Paul. The original Dahl house measured wenty by thirty feet with a low-pitched able roof and a fuil basement. As the �ars passed, two additions were made to e house. The first, added around 18$b, cluded a nineteen by sixteen-foot kit- en attached to the rear of the kouse. In �b2 a fifreen by sixreen-foot din- ;hecreation room was added to the kit- '! :n and the entire structure was covered i h stucco. � Wrlliam Dah!'s house {ar�ow) in St. Pau! in 7866-7 jtop photoJ. This view from Mount Airy was taken by Whrtney's Gal�ery, Si. Pau�. Below is the house as it /ooked in 7936. A. F. Raymond photograph. The main livjng rooms for William Dahl and his family were in the basement of their new home. Unheated sleeping quarters occupied the main floor. William lived there only a few months, however. He died of consumption in September, 1858, leavin� his wife, Catherine, who was pregnant with their third child, to sup}wrt the family. Shedid so by [aking in washing. The Dahls' only son, Edward, went into the fumiture business at the age of 13 to help wiih the family's expenses, and he inherited the homestead when his mother died in 1901. By that time Edward had retired from the fumiture business he had operated for twenty-five years and was devoting al1 of his time to serving as a secretary for the St. Pau1 Junior Pioneers. In 1889 he had been a founder of the Pioneers, a civic-minded group �� dedicated to supporting the city's development and preserving its heritage. Edward and his wife, Sophia, lived in Ihe house until the summer of 1936, when he sold it to Roy Patterson. The next year Edward died at the age of 81. The Pattersons remodeled the house ex- tensively and raised their children there before Mrs. Patterson sold the property to the state of Minnesota after her hus- band's death. The state used the house as offices for the criminal system om- budsman. The house still stands as one of ; ihe iast remaining reminders of St. Paul's ' pioneer past. When Edward Dah1 moved from his boyhood home in 1936, he recalled for a newspaper reporter some memories of the years when he and the city were growing up rogether: "There's a lot of sentiment stored away in this house,"he said. "Father died here and so did mother. ... When I was a kid [in the ISbOs], I used to pick hazel nuts up the hil! yonder," he con- tinued, pointin� toward the state capitol, "and across Robert Street were the Tip- perary flats. It was covered with shacks " Kittson's house has long since been demolished, as have all of the other homes that once graced Lowertown, but the home that William Daht built for his family 132 years ago expresses the lifestyle of the common folk of that period. Spr�� I�t°tC 11;;1� ��.� ?�, ;�I�."�k� j -- aa�nsercour+nmsroav n '.< - IPSOTA - ': `. - �t:of - aiion `=-!�:'; �1!�i��i�� i " ! • . � :r ' t' STAiE OF MINNESOTn Department of Administration 1(10 AdmFn".rnr:n B SO Sherbume Avrnue Saint Paul. Mivnaota SSISS C6I21�3862 Mchitatural Design OFFICE OF THE COMMISS[ONER February 12, 1992 'The Honorabie Arne H. Carlson Governor 130 State Capitol Building Patrick E. Flahaven Secretary of the Senate 231 State Capitol BuiIding Edward A. Burdick Chief Clerk House of Representatives 211 State Capitol Building Dear Gentlemen: q �,� , ti'� Building Code Pursuant to Minnesota Laws 1991, Cha�ter 345, Article 1, Section 17, B "'` a '"g �°`""""`°° Subdivision 4, the Department of Adirumstration has completed the study of the Contratting historic renovation and potential reuse of the Dahl House. Data Pnctias Dau Procaang �+D�oYa Assistanx �nBY Conservation �� nta�og�� Infomution Managrnunt m�enrory hiar,asemw�c i.ocal Govttmmml Sys[cros Mmagemrnt Analysis PSast Managemem P+inring & Mailing Pu6lic Documrnts Purthuing Rnl &ute Managwrnt Raords Managemmt Aesourx Raycling Sta[c Bookstott Telecommunicazions Volumeer Servicc The enclosed report represents the department's findings and its recommendations to the Legisiature. Sincerely, A.,.,.. i3. is Dana B. Ba ger w COIIlIl11SSi0 e DBB:WMFi:ns Enclosure �. � � � q � -��1r Table ofi Contents Executive Summary and Introduction Historic Registration Physical tntegrity Reuse and Cost Op�ions East Capitol Area 1991 Architect/Eng�neer's Analysis 1991 Architec#/Engineer's Cost Da#a 1977 Miiler-- Dunwiddie Report �t 977 Nationaf Registry Forms 1974-1976, Excerpts from CAAPB Meetings � C.arolinal' Acknowfedgments � �� , ,�1y February 11, 1992 Executive Summary The Minnesota Legislature directed the Department of Administration in consultation with the CAAPB to study the historic renovation and potential reuse of the Dahl House. In 1977 the Dah1 House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the last surviving residence in Lowertown, an expression of the lifestyle of common people in St. Paul and the change a community experiences over 120 years of growth. Restoration of the Dahl House requires up to 85 percent replacement of the existing structure. Relocation of the building to a corner parcel will allow development of the rest of the block and not restrict long-range strategic planning and development of the East Capitol Area. Once relocated and renovated, the house could be used for one of three functions; a bookstore, an information center, or as an adjunct to a major building. It is recommended that a reuse of the Dahl Flouse be £ocused on incorporating it into a larger develapment on the block. � y ��.1'S Introduction The Laws of Minnesota 1991, Chapter 345, Article 1, Section 17 Subdivision 4, require that "the dapartment of administration consultation with the capitol area architectural and planning board shall study the historic renovation and potential reuse the Dahl House and report to the senate finance and house appropriations committees by February 1, 1992." in of In response to that legislative directive, individual staff members from the following aqencies and firms were a part of the Dahl xouse study and contributed to its conclusions. Department of Administration, Office of Building Construction Division Real Estate Management Division Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Miller/Dunwiddie Architects, Inc. the Commissioner Board (CAAPB) Significant to this study was the realization that past records, historic plats and plans of the Dahl House were still relevant, both from a historical and physical perspective. In 1989 the Department of Administration developed "an overview" of Capitol area properties emphasizing land acquisition and development gotential. In 1990 the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board specifically developed a design framework study for urban development of the east Capitol area. Both studies will be a valuable resource for the comprehensive strategic plan of state properties, particularly the focus on St. Paul and the Capitol area. All of these studies are important to the future of the Dahl House, since its present location is on prime state-owned property destined for redevelopment. There are four separate issues to address in examining the future of the Dahl House. 1. Its historic registration. 2. The physical integrity of the existing structure. 3. A recommended reuse of the facility. a. The impact on the East Capitol Area. q � -�� Reuse structurally the Dahl House has deteriorated to the point that it should be totally renovated. One of the key questions is whether the building has sufficient historical significance to justify a restoration and replication o£ the primary components required to preserve it. The committee discussed the reuse of the facility and determined it could have three potential functions, assuming it were to be renovated. A. A state operated retail outlet, i.e., a book store. B. A state operated visitor information center for the Capitol area. C. An office or conference suite adjunct to a major state building an the block. Since the Dahl House could have a direct ef£ect on the development of several properties in the East Capitol Area, the committee evaluated the potential of moving the building to locations on the present block or to other Capitol area locations that have more architectural exposure. However, a move from its original site may place the historic registry of the Dahl House in jeopardy. That issue would require further review for each relocation site. Another possibility is to have the Minnesota Historical Society form a preservation consulting team to develop an in-depth historic evaluation in keeping with such recent historic "use" studies as the Veblen Farmstead, Tettegouche Camp, Old Main at the University of Minnesota/DUluth and the Sherburne County courthouse, to name a few. The Capital Budget Reform steering committee is concurrently recommending to the Leqislature that the Department of Administration develop a strategic plan for locating state agencies in the metropolitan area. This would include formulation of a master plan for development and use of property in the capitol area and a travel management plan to quide the location of parking facilities in the Capitol area. By renovating and relocating the Dahl Aouse to one of the corners o£ the block it is on, the rest of the block would be available for development and implementation of potential office and parking facilities that may be proposed by the strategic plan and the master plan for the Cagitol area, if apgroved. Moving a renovated Dahl House to the corner of the block provides more flexibility for planning and construction of the rest of the block, while preserving the historical significance oP the house in its Lowertown neighborhood. Once relocated, the house could be used for one of the three functions outlined herein - a bookstore, an information center, or as an adjunct to a major building. To determine other uses a further study by the Historicai Society would be necessary. For maximum fiexibility in development of the block and at the lowest cost to the state, the building could be razed. � � ��. \��'� 1 � Rev Ontions and Estimated Costs � The total area of the original structure is 1,053 square feet on both the main and basement levels with the open porch having an additional 120 square feet, for a total of 2,226 gross square feet. If the Dahl House were renovated, the usable area may be reduced by removal of part or relocation on to a new foundation. The following are key options in the reuse of the Dahl House. ■ Move the Dahl House if the Dahl house were to be moved to a location an the same block, the cost, including a new foundation, would be $20,000. If the Dahl House were moved to other sites in the Capitol area, the increased moving distance and city street fees would increase the cost to $30,000. ■ Restore To excavate and remove the old basement, including foundations, demolish the 1962 dining room addition, provide a new basement, all exterior replication and structural stabilization, the cost is estimated to be $125,000. To completely restore the interior, add $44,000. To provide for leasehold improvements for a specific state tenant add $31,000 as an allowance. To do all items in this category would cost $200,000. ■ Demolish The Dahl House could be razed for an estimated cost of $12,000. ■ A State Historical Preservation Consultinq Team The Historical Society has selected both national and regional historians to participate in past preservation consulting seminars. These '�reuse" studies have averaged in cost from $20,000 to $25,000. . TABLE OE CONTENTS Page I. INTTZODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. GENERAL DESCRIPTION QF THE BUILDING ........ 3 A. DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 B. HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 C. ARCIiITECTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 D. STRUCT'IIRAL ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 E. MECfiANSCAL AND ELECTRICAL ANALYSIS ....... 12 III. RESTORATION PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 A. ADAPTIVE USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 B. RECOb4�lEf3DED Rb'STORATION DATE . . . . . . . . . . 15 C. WORK PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 D. COST OF RESTORATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 E. FI7NDING . . . . ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 F. RECOPII�NDED PRIORIT7ES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 G. PROCEDURE FOR ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 IV. CONCI,USION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 FOOTNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 BIBLIOGRAPFiY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 q �_ 1�� y �� .ti� IV. CONCLUSION In 1865 a photographer stood at the top of Mount Airy and recorded in a series of panoramic views the adolescent city of Sai.nt Pau1. From Dayton.'s Bluff to S�it Hill the city lay beneath him. At the fringe of the residential area, lmown as Lowertown, sunotmded by a fenced pasture, the House appeazs, Today, it is one of the.£ew buildings surviving within the range of those views. This structure provides a unique opportunity to interpret the lives of �the people who foxmed the backbone of Saint Paul. Their lives are saore closely related to the majority of ots present day population than those who built the showQlaces on Ramsey Hi11. As the last surviving residence in Lowertown, the Dahl House can serve to remind the visitor of the importance of that early area. Also by comparison, its surroundings exQress the many changes of the past 119 years. In August of 1970 the Canitol Area Architectural and Plannine Co�mui.ssion presented, to the Legislature, a comprehensive use plan for the �Linnesota State Capitol Area. "The p1an contained four major concepts which form building . blocks for an ordezly growth pattem in the Capitol Area." The restoration program proposed in this report not only follows the guidelines set forth in the comprehensive plan but also highlights the history of early St. Paul and conforms to the proposed use of the area. The William Dahl House, which lies in the shadow of the State Capitol, is a simple and utilitarian design which was so populaz i.n the late 1800's throughout Minnesota. Many similar structures have long since disappeared from the modern and mechanized areas of our cities, victims of the wrecking 31 � a . ball and the bulldozer Saint Paul is fortunate to have this imique ;structure still intact and in restorable condition. A careful analysis o£ the Willizm Dahl House indicates that the �?-1� 32 �building is i.n excellent condition, can be restored to its original design ared �preserved for a n�ber of adaptive uses. But it is not enough to preserve empty buildings as morn�ments to the past. Their ultimate survival and preservation depends upon sound economics and programs for their continued use, although the use may be quite different from its original purpose. Pseliminary study indicates that there are viable alternative uses £or the building. Several possibilities for fundi.ng of the restoration work have been suggested in this rsport. However, it remains for interested citizens, groups and public officials to work out detailed programs and fimding for the preservation of the building. This report has attempted to put into cleazer focus the historical and architectural significance of the William Dah1 House and the role it played in the development of the City of Saint Paul. It is to be hoped that it can con- tinne to serve a useful purpose in the cotmnunity to remind us of our heritage. . i _ � OE' TFiE CITY OF SAINT PAIIL, 1946 23 - SECTION 1 . That the agreement created as of the effective date oE this ordinance between the CiYy of Saint Paui and the above flescribed representative on file in ihe office of the City�Clerk is hereby ap- proved and the authorized administra- tive officials o£ the CitY are hereby authorized and directed to execute said agreement on behalf of the City. SECTION 2 That the wage schedule indicated in the Agreement with the above-de- scribed representative shail take force and effect retroactively to the dates set forth in ihe agreement and in accord- ance with the expressed intent of the agreement of this Council contained in Council File Numbers 262768 and 262851. SECTION 3 That any other ordinance, rule or iegulation in force when said agree- ment takes effect inconsistent with any provisions of the terms or conditions of said agreement is hereby repealed. SECTION 4 This ordinance shall take effect and be in force thirty days after its passage, approval, and publication. Adopted by the Council January 22, 1976. Yeas—Councilmen Christensen, Hunt, Levine. Sylvester, Tedesco, Mr. Presi- dent {Hozza)-6. Nays-0. Approved January 26, 19i6. LAW�ENCE D. COHEN, Mayor. (January 31, 1976) tiE50LUTIONS mittee to study and Yeport on uses ior the Dahl House on its present site which would be reminiscent of and compatible with its historical signifi- cance: and be it Further Resolved, That the committee will also make a determination on How mueh restoration is needed to render the structure useful {ar the Further Resolved, That said commit- tee tivill report its findings back to the City within a period o£ not to eaceed 60 days aftei members are appointed; and be it Further Resolved, ThaE membership en the committee be composed of a rePresentative of each of the £o3lowin� i, the f of the Pau7 City Councii, and the : Mayor's Ot�ice; and be 3t Further Resolved, That the is reauested to annoint as a 31 �in bringing this matter by the Council January 20. 26, 1976. 31, 1976) Council File No. 266655—By Leonard W. Levine— Whereas, Chapter 19 of the Adminis- trative Code requires that the City Council shall each year determine the streets on which trees shall be snain- tained, together with the estimated amount oE service charges to be levied against benefited property for such tree maintenance, and prior to such deter- mination that the Council shall conduct a public hearin� on the pronosed for- Council File No. 2666�19—By David H. Whereas. The Department of Com- Houa— munity Services has presented the �i'hereas, The Dahl House, located at proposed 1976 fore52ry maintenance 136 Thitteenth Street in Saint Paul, Program for Council consideration; built. in Yhe same year that iYIinnesota now, there£ore, be it becamc a statc. is one o£ the few Resolved, That the Council of thc remaining houses as old as the state; Cit,y of Saint Paul does hereby declare and a public hearing shall 'be he]d on the ��'hereas, The Dahl I-Souse is one of a 17Yh day of February, 3976, beiore the verp few exampSes remaining of a. City Council for the purpose of con- residence of the "common man" to sidering the approval of the 19?G surcice from the pioneer era of St. £orestry maintenance pro�ram, and Paul; and the City Clerk is hereby d�rected io l�'hereas, The Minnesota Aistorical publish the prescribed notice in a le�ai Sociexy has Sound that the Dahl House newspaper at least ricice, the last possesses historical si�nificance ior al] publication bein� no less 3han one the City of St. Paul and that it merits ��eek prior to Yhe public hcaring, a presercation, ii at all possible on its copy of the approved notice bein� at- present site; and tached hereto. R'hereas. The Capito] Area Archi- Adopted by the Council Januarp ?�. tectur2l and Planning Board has ioundl tha2 ;he house, on its nresent sitc.'� Approved January 2G, 1�:6. �souid ha�•c no adverse eiSects on the fJanuary 31, 19ifi Master Pian Sor the Capitol area: and� �t'hereas. The house is o�cned by the � State o£ 111innesota, and is intended Lo � Council Fi7e No. 266&56—By Leonard A'. be aemolished ior use bp the state Levine-- motor pool; no�c, therefore, be it Resolved. That the Council oi the Resolved. That the St. Paul Citr Cii�• of Saint Paul hereby ratifies and Council records its intent to im�esti�ate appro�•es the action of the City of Saint all acenues o£ preservin� this historic ; Pau] Board o£ Appeals and Review per- structure on its present siTe• and be it I tainin� to the £ollou•in� listed propert}• Furiher Resolved, That the Council � and as shotvn bY the Escerpted Min- requests Yhe Mayor to appoint a com- � utes of said Board of Appcals and q ' 1 .��`'� _\ THE MINNESOTA MUTUAL LIFE INSUflANCE COMPANY 400 RoBErri STREEf Noattf S7. Pnu4 MN 5510b2098 Pn 612/665-3437 �'F{;�I`Y =� OFrl�_ C= _,=�' ��cc�2o �:-;if��6 I(ein� M. Ca�faeEu V� Ppesiowr October 17, 1997 Ms. Tracey Baker, Chair Heritage Preservation Commissi�n City of St. Paul 350 St. Peter Street #300 St. Paul, MN 55102-1510 Dear Ms. Baker: � �.8' `� � 1 J O� � MINNESOTA MUTUA� A variety of Minnesota Mutual people received your October 2, 19971etter regarding the Bremer Tower (formerly Cardozo Building). Initially, we are building space for an additional 2,000 new employees. In approximately 2010, we prabably will build again on that biock to handle our growth needs through 2020. The second construction phase would house about 1,500 new employees. After a great deal of thought, discussion, and planning, we feel Minnesota Mutual's need for expansion space through 2020 requires a full city block. Several months ago the City of St. Paul and the St. Paul Port Authority approached Minnesota Mutual with a proposal to provide that block to us sometime in early 1998 following the demolishing of all eacisting, mostly vacant stnxctures on the site. The City and other members of the public sector have worked diligently finding ways to accoi�une�date our significan: expansion needs over the next twenty years. Frankly, their response made St. Paul a competitive location relative to other altematives Minnesota Mutual was considering. We have e�ensively discussed your requests with our architects, the contractor, our Site Selection Committee and members from the public sector (HRA, the City and the Port Authority). We see no alternative where all, or parts, of the Bremer Tower can be part of our plan. While we think highly of the goals of the Commission, and have respect for the work you are doing, for a variety of reasons we believe we need an entire block without any e�sting structures on it. October 17, 1997 Page Two Regarding your comments on the architectural value of urban renewal, we want to assure you we will act responsibly to design and build a building of superior quality. Our current building on 400 North Robert Street is not "bland or soulless," at least in our eyes. In fact, we have been told by many people that our eacisting building was an excellent addition to St. Paul and that the public spaces are interesting additions aY street level as well as for skyway visiYOrs. We will endeavor to bring in a building of value which will add to the character and richness of our central city. We certainly regret any philosophical conflict this creates for your advisory commission. Our intent now is to build upon the strengths of our currenT building and develop an expansion facility that is equally successful and of value to the downtown azea. Sincerely, � e�h pbell ' � Chairman of the Site Selection Committee KC/ttn cc: 7ulio Fesser, Minnesota Mutual George Fremder, Minnesota Mutual 7ohn Lund, Minnesota Mutual Mayor Coleman City Council Members Carl Remick, Architectural Alliance Tom DeAngelo, Architecturai Alliance Dennis Mulvey, McGough Construction Robert Kessler, LIEP Pam Wheelock, PED L Thompson, PED iVti:iavt F�°.�iiP^vh.v.C1i�°.i� P�•T�l Bill Morin, Port Authority Mary Nelson, Capital River Council �� E,� be� 1 / /S/y'7 Council File �` `�� t h L " L- Ordinance # Green Sheet # vv� � I RESOLUT{0111 Presented Referred 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 il 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 i2 �3 ¢ 5 6 7 3 � WHEREAS, lristoric preservation and new development aze compatible parmers and both aze important to the health, vitality and welfare of the city; and WfIEREA5, Saint Paul's lristory is strong part of the city's identity and physical evidence of that history enriches the city's ueighbozhoods �d downtown; and WHEREAS, growth and new development aze also essential to the city's heakh, yet historic buildings and sites are too often viewed as obsolete and eapendable in order to accommodate new developme�rt; and WFIEREAS, �ampies of historic buildings that have been integated with new development, some of which had been threatened with demolition, include the 7ackson Street Shops at Empire Builder Park, the Landmark Center, the McColl Building adjacent to Galtier Plaza, Blair House and Hill Plaza at SelbyiWestern, the Como Shops (Bandana Square, etc.) in Energy Park, and the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis; and WHEREAS, the Dahl House is now threateved with demolition; and WHEREAS, ffie William and Catherine Dahl House at 136 Thirteenth Street was constructed in 1858, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is historically significant as the last surviving residence in the once-residential Lowertown azea (that area which developed around the Lower Landing), as the oldest s(ructure in the State Capitol azea, as a raze eacample of a Greek Revival siyle residence, and as an eacpression both of the growth and change of Saint Paul over the past 139 years and of modest, worldng class housing that was most common in Saint Paul; and WHEREAS, arclritectural lustorian Jef&ey Hess has written that the Dahl House is "the best surviving example of the city's modest, one-story frame houses of the 1850s' ; and WHEREAS, Yhe Saint Paul City Cowicil passed a resolution in 1976, when the Dahi House was also threatened by demolition, recording "its intent to investigate a11 avenues of preserving tlris lristoric structure on its present site", which resolution led to a reuse feasibility study conducted for the Ciry wlrich concluded that "a careful analysis of the William Dahl House indicates that the building is in excellart condirion, [and] can be restored to its original design and preserved for a n�ber of adaptive uses"; and WHEREAS, ihe State Depazlment of Adruinistrafion was required by state law to conduct a reuse feasibility sludy of the Dahl House and that 1992 report recognized the significance of the house and recommended that "reuse of the Dahl House be focnsed on incorporating it into a lazger development on the blcek' ; and WI�REAS, the original plaas for the State's new Depuhuent of Revenue building currently under conshuction on the block surrounding the Dahl House called for preservation and reuse of the Dahl House in conjunction with the new building but that outcome is now very uncertain and the State has eacpressed a lack of interest in preserving the Dahl House; and WHEREAS, private individuais and organizations and all levels of govemmem have a shazed responsibility to act as stewazds of ow cultwal heritage for current and firture generations; and CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MlNNESOTA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 il 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 q�-i3aa WHEREAS, continual phmdering of lristoric stcuchues obliterates a sense of place and tristory, diminishes the richness of the built environment, and is imnecessary; NOW, THEREFORE, BE TT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Saint Paul declazes that it is in the public interest and welfaze to preserve historically and arclritectivally significant buildings and to incorporate th� into new developmentprojeots; and BE TT F[TRTHER RESOLVED that the City Council strongly encourages the State of Minnesota to preseive, restore, and reuse the William and Catherine Dahl House on the Department of Revenue site as originally planned and in keeping with the recommendation of the State's 1992 reuse study; and BE TT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Council requests the m;ni�tion to direct staff in PED and LIEP to work with the State of Minnesota towards this end. Requested by Department of: Certi£ied by Council Secretary ss= y �� a i--� �. ,� / Appraned by Mayor: Date i✓ �21�7— By: i �_�� '� � / �— By: Form Approved by City Attorney By: Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council By: Adopted by Council: Date��_5 ��'� o��r 30. iss7 I GREEN SHEET Jerry Blakey 6R611 .:...�-�^a TOTAL � OF SIGNATURE PAGES q� �t��— No 606�1 U oo.e,�n ewEnae U anca.o� — ❑ arcwrroiwtv ❑ arvaaK _ ❑wuxeu�awweFSO�c ❑rwxo��aaxvi.�ero ❑wva+etq�4aaanwn ❑ (CLJP ALL LOCATIONS FOR SiGNATURE) Encouraging the State Departmem of Revenue to find a good reuse of the Dahl house and also encoivaging Minnesota Mutval to consider the possibility of incozporating the Cazdozo building into Sts new project. PLANNING COMMISSION CIB COMMfTTEE CIVIL SERVICE CAMMISSION rara� aawurrr oF TnaeisnenoH s qSONAlSERVICE CONiRACTS MUS� ANSWER TNE FOLLAWiN6 QUESSIONSi Fles tn�s personlBrm everworicea urMe. a coMract ror fhic tlepartmenn VES NO tiea Uis aeBOMrm e�er tcen a ciry dnpoyee9 YES NO Dces Mts parsoNGm1 pmees6 a Slall not namallypoacessetl by any Wnent dty emplOyee7 YES NO IaMiapereonlfirmafatg�etivatWOYl � . YES NO cosrmEV�ue euocerEC laac� owq �i�:P NNDING SOURCE AGTIVIT' NUMBER 1NONCWI MFORMnTON IEtPINN) Council File # �[�—i!�aa RESOLUTION NT PAUL, MINNESOTA Presented Referred To Green Sheet # GO L � � Committee Date � 1 WHEREAS, historic preservation and new development aze comparible pariners and both aze importaut to the ealth, vitality 2 and welfaze of the city; and 3 WHEREAS, Saint Paul's history is strong part of the city's identity and physical evidence of that his ry enriches the city's 4 neighborhoods and downtown; and S WHEREAS, growth and new development are also essential to the ciry's healtYi, yet historic ildings and sites are too often 6 viewed as obsolete and expendable in order to accommodate new development; and 7 WHEREAS, examples of historic buildings that have been integrated with new evelopment, some of which had been 8 threatened with demolition, include the Jackson Street Shops at Empire Build Pazk, the Landmark Center, the McColl 9 Building adjacent to Galtier Plaza, Blair House and Hill Piaza at Selbyf Weste , the Como Shops (Bandana Square, etc.) in 1 Q Energy Pazk, and the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis; and ll WHEREAS, rivo buildings of historical significance, the Dahl House d the CardozoBremer Building, are now tiireatened 12 demolition; and 13 WHEREAS, the William and Catherine Dahl House at 13 irteenth Street was constructed in 1858, is listed on the 14 National Register of Historic Places, and is historically si ificant as the last surviving residence in the once-residenrial 15 Lowertown atea (that area which developed atound the L er Landing), as the oldest structure in the State Capitol area, as 16 a raze e�unple of a Greek Revival style residence, and an eapression both of the growth and change of Saint Paul over the 17 past 139 years and of modest, working class housin at was most common in Saint Paul; and 18 WFIEREAS, architectural hastorian Jef&ey Hes as written that the Dahl House is "the best surviving example of the city's 19 modest, one-story frame houses of the 185Qs", and '.0 WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Cou 1 passed a resolution in 1476, when the Dahl House was also threatened by 1 demolition, recording "its intent to in tigate all avenues of preserving this historic structure on its present site", which 2 resolution led to a reuse feasibility s y conducted far the Ciry which concluded that "a cazefui analysis of the William Dahl 3 House indicates that the building ' in excellent condition, [and] can be restored to its original design and preserved for a 4 number of adaprive uses' ; and i WHEREAS, the State D artment of Administration was required by state law to conduct a reuse feasibility study of the i Dahl House and that 19 report recognized the significance of the house and recommended that "reuse of the Dahl House ` be focused on inco rating it into a lazger development on the block' ; and WFIEREA�fhe original plans for the State's new Department of Revenue building cutrently under consiruction on the block sunounding the Dahl House called for preservation and reuse of the Dahl House in conjunction with the new building but that outcome is now very uncertaiu and the State has expressed a lack of interest in preserving the Dahl House; and WHEREAS, private individuals and organizarions and all leveis of government have a shazed responsibility to act as stewazds 1 of our cultural heritage for current and future generafions; and q�-►�� WHEREAS, the Cazdozo Fumiture Company Building (a.k.a. the Bremer Tower) at 82 East Seventh Place was designed by Ellerbe Architects, was constnxcted in 1931, and is architecturally significant as an example of a mid-rise Art Deco sTyle building; and 5 WHEREAS, Minnesota Mutual plans to demolish the Cazdozo Building as part of its new building project; and 6 WHEREAS, incorporation of ffie Cazdozo Building into Minnesota Mutual's project would preserve an 7 si�ificant building and add to the richness of the urban fabric in downtown; and / 8 WHEREAS, many if not most of the historic buildings in the center of downtown have been cle ed by urban renewal, 9 resulting in a loss of character and an historic sense of place; and 10 W HEREAS, continual plundering of historic shuctures obliterates a sense of place and hi ry, diminishes the richness of 11 the built environment, and is unnecessary; 12 NOW, 'I'HEREFORE, BE TT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Saint Pa declazes that it is in the public interest 13 and welfaze to preserve historically and architecturally significant buildings and incorporate them into new development 14 projects; and 15 BE TT FITI2THER RESOLVED that the City Council strongly encoura s the State of Minnesota to 16 preserve, restore, and reuse the William and Catherine Dahl House on th epartment of Revenue site as originally planned 17 and in keeping with the recommendation of the State's 1992 reuse s y; and 18 BE TT TiJRTAER RESOLVED that the Council strongly encoura es Minnesota Mutual to cazefully consider the possibility 19 of incorporating the Cardozo Building (or at least its facades) ' its new project; and 20 BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Council directs city 21 Minnesota Mutual towuds these ends and to include rec 22 guidelines being prepazed by the City for the Minnesota�Gtu ' in PED and LIEP to work with the State of Minnesota and on of the Cazdozo Building's significance in the desi� project. Requested by Department of: Bostrom Collins Harris Mega Morton Thune Adopted by Councilf' Date Adoption � by CouncIl 5ecretary Approved by Mayor: Date � Form Approved by Ciry Attorney � Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council � � `��-13a�- CTTY OF SAINT PAUL Norm Coleman, Mayor 2 October 1997 Mr. Julio Fesser, Manager, Space Planning Minnesota Mutual 4U0 North Robert Street Saint Paul, MN 55101 Deaz Mr. Fesser: HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION do LIEP Telepi�ne: 612-2669087 350 Saint Peter Strea #300 Facsimile: 611-2669099 Snint Paut, Minnesota 55702-IS10 The Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) of the City of Saint Paul briefly discussed, at its October 25, 1997 meeting, your new building project in downtown Saint Paul. The commission voted 10 - 0 to send a letter strongly encouraging you to incorporate the historic Cardozo Furniture Company Buiiding (a.k.a. the Bremer Tower) into the project. While commission members aze very pleased about your new building and what it means for downtown Saint Paul, we also believe that historic preservation and new development aze compatible partners and together enhance, in this case, the vitality and special qualities of downtown Saint Paul. It is important to preserve and reuse the Cazdozo Building both because of its azchitectural significance and because of the contribution it makes to the urban fabric of downtown. The building was designed by Ellerbe Architects, was built in 1931, and, according to the 1983 Saint PauURamsey County Historic Sites Survey, is eligible for the Nationai Register of Historic Places. It is a significant Art Deco style building that has lost its Inster but has great potentia] for rehabilitation. The most significant intact features are the brick bas relief friezes at the top, and the typicalty bold and simple horizontal soIdier courses beriveen floors and the vertical bands between window bays. Some significant details, including the base and the banding on windows and spandrels, have been removed but could be replaced (see the enclosed historic photograph for a glimpse of the missing window and spandre] detail which appears to be similaz to ihat found on our Ciry HaillCourthouse building). (Aiso please note that the original 1931 drawings of the Cardozo Building are at Ellerbe Becket in Minneapolis; they show details such as sandblasted prism glass ventilators at the mezzanine level which are visible in the hisYoric photograph.) The Cazdozo Building is also important in the context of 3ate 1920s and 1930s Art Deco buildings in downtown Saint Paul, of which there aze eleven extant ranging in size from smaii to large. The Ellerbe fum designed not only the Cardozo Building but also the magnificent City HalUCourthouse and the N.S.P. Building (now occupied by Ecoiab) at the southeastem corner of Wabasha and East Fifth stceets. While the Cazdozo $uilding is, indeed, I believe, uchitecturally significant and worthy of preservation, it is not a landmazk building of the most pivotal quality or character. Adding to the building's importance, however, is the role it plays in the urban fabric of downtown. Historic and azchitecturally distinguished bui3dings enrich the city, delighY the eye, tell the story of the city's development and Mr. Jalio Fesser 2 October1997 Page Two people, and help to create a sense of ptace that is, in part, roated in history. The preservation and incorporation of the Cazdozo Building into your project would provide a nice complexity, character, and richness to your project and to the downtown fabric and sVeetscape. We know too well the legacy of urban renewai clearance; more often than not it is btand and soulless buildings, glaces, and streetscapes that obliterate a sense of place anc3 history. The Cazdozo Buildiag is at the edge of the core of downtown that was lazgely cleared for redevelopmeni since the late 1950s. If one stands at t[ie comers of Sixth and Minnesota and Sixth and Robert, the southem corners of the planned new development, one sees in ait directions mostiy bland, chazacterless, modem buildings that do faz too little to entiven the streets and enrich the city; one sees few, if any, historic buildings. While the core of downtown is framed by the beautiful, historic areas of Lowertown and Rice Pazk, the core iueff has lost many wonderful historic buildings. I would encourage you to carefully consider the feasibitity of incorporating the Cazdozo $uiiding into your project. A second to last resort, short of outright demolition, would be to incorporate only the two street-facing facades into the new projeci (known as facadism or facadectomy). I would expect some to say that the need for pazking simply requues clearance of the entire block; I would encowage you to carefully consider the options. As HPC Vice-Chair Chazles Skrief said at last week's HPC meeting, the Cazdozo Building is a quintesseniial Saiat Paul bnilding and to save it is what distinguishes Saint Paul from our neighbor, Minneapolis. Please call me at 296-1273, or the HPC staff person, Aazon Rubenstein, at 266-9087, if you would like to discuss this issue. I would also 2ike to iavite yov to attend the October 23, 1997 meeting of the HeriTa$e Preservation Commission. Sincerely, � �� Tracey Baker, air Heritage Preservation Commission cc: Mayor Coleman City Councilmembers John Lund, Minnesota Mutual George Fremder, Minnesota Mutual Cazl Remick, Architeetural Alliance Tom DeAngelo, Architecturat Alliance Dennis Mulvey, McGough Construction Robert Kessler, LIEP Pam Wheelock, PED Lucy Thompson, PED Mazgot Fehrenbacher, PED Bill Morin, Port Authority Mary Netson, CapitotRiver Councit . -: i ��: .• 14 •�� : i r S � ' y� f'� . pk • 7 .�il C.? i. l r ' . tl f `'. :r �i� :;{' .;, . a �`:. r� : :'•, �.� . ' ! :� � j . .i • E: ,,� ��: :- _ y . '} �� • �7 �•. :�� .Z' ; ; , I � ` :> � � ii✓� �J,. �n✓i - :1-.:. � Y a 9 OFFSCE OF LICENSE, II3SPECT{ONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEC170N Robe�t Kessle� Disecto� CITY OF SAINT PAUL Norn+Coleman, Mayor FAX MEMO To: From: Governor Arne CarLson JAWRYPROFESSIONAL BUILD7NG Suite 300 350 St Peter Street Safnt Panl, Mweesota 55101-I510 Lt. Governor Joanne Benson MHS Director Nina Archabal DOA Commissioner Elaine Hansen CAAPB Exec. Sect. Nancy Stark fax: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation staff tel 256-9087 fas 266-9099 Date: 25 September 1997 Totai pages including cover memo: 3 296-2089 296-2089 296-1004 297-7909 296-6718 q � -►�lY Telephone: 612-266-9090 Facsimi(e: 6t2-266-9U99 Message: Attached is a resolution passed this evening by the City of Saint Paul's Heritage Preservation Commission which addresses the importance of the threatened Dahl House and encourages you to preserve and reuse it, on site, as part of the Department of Revenue project. Please contact me, or the Chair of the Heritage Preservation Commission, Tracey Baker (she can be reached at 296-1273 or the letterhead address), if you wish to discuss this matter. cc: Mayor Coleman City Councilmembers Robert Kessler, LIEP Director Pam Wheelock, PED D'uector Preservation Alliance of Minnesota Dennis Gimmestad, SHPO/MI3S °(� ��'� CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION RESOLUTION FILE NUMBER 97-1 DATE 25 September 1997 W�iEREAS, the William and Catherine Dahl House at 136 Thirteenth Street was constructed in 1&58 (with an historically compatible 1886 reaz addition and an historically incompatible 1962 reaz addition); and WHEREAS, the Dahl House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is historically significant as the ]ast surviving residence in the once-residential Lowertown azea (that azea which devetoped around the Lower I,anding), as the oldest struciure in the State Capitol azea, as a rare example of a Greek Revival style residence, and as an expression both of the growth and change of Saint Paul over the past 139 yeazs and of modest, warking class housing that was most common in Saint Paul; and WHEREAS, the building may appeaz today to the uninformed eye to be unremarkabie, dilapidated, and of little or no value but actually has great value and potential for resYoration; and FVHEREAS, architecturai historian Jeffrey Hess has written that the Dahl Aouse is "the best surviving example of the city's modest, one-story frame houses of the 185Qs", that "well articulated examples of the Greek Revival are extremely rare among surviving St. Paui buildings", and that: At first glance, the Dahl House does not look like a building worth fighting for. Its unassuming appeazance, however, is the key to its historical importance. The building graphica]ly illustrates the sQeed and simplicity of most antebellum residential construction in St. Paul. Over the years, the Dahi House has been altered ... but the original, 1850s, gable-roofed section is still cleazly visibie; and WHEREAS, it is imgortant to preserve, in addition to Summit Avenue mansions of the wealthy, evidence of the lives and history of common people; and WI�REAS, the State Department of Administration was required by state law to conduct a reuse feasibility study of the Dahl House and that 1492 report recognized the significance of the house and recommended that "reuse of the Dahl House be focused on incorporating it into a larget development on the block';and WHEREAS, the Dahl House was nearly demolished in ihe mid-1970s to provide space for underground gas storage tanks, survived twenty more yeazs, and was then Lo be incorporated into the State Department of Revenue building project currenfly being constructed on the block but that outcome now appears uncertain; and WHEREAS, the 1977 National Register nomination reported the condition of the Dahl House to be exceilent though it now appeazs to be significantly deteriorated due to lack of maintenance and protection, and Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission ResoIution File #97-1 Page Two WHEREAS, preservation and development often make good partners where there is the wi11, and continual ptundering of historic artifacts and structures obtiterates a sense of piace and history, diminishes the richness of the built environmettt, and is unnecessary; and WHEREAS, moving the Dahl House away from its original location would significantly detract from the buiIding's historic value; part of its historic significance is its location and moving it to a residential neighborhood that developed later in time would resutt in a confusing and inappropriate context; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Heritage Preservation Commission eRCOUrages, in the strongest way possible, Govemor Carlson, Lieutenant Govemor Bensoa, Departmeni of Administration Commissioner Hansen, Minnesota Historical Society Director and State Historic Preservation O�cer Archabal, and Capitot Area Architectural and Ptanning Boazd Executive Secretary Stark to preserve, restore, and rease the William and Catherine Daht House on the Department of Revenue site as originally planned and in keeping with ihe recommendatioa of the State's 1992 reuse study; and BE TT F'URTHER RESOLVED that the Heritage PreservaUon Commission of the Ciry of Saint Paul offers whatever assistance it can toward the preservation and reuse of the Dahi House; and $E TT FINALLY RESOLVED that Lhe Heritage Preservation Commission reminds these disYinguished $tate officers that it is the responsibility of the state, as for all levels of govemment, to provide stewardship of historic properties and resources for current and future generations. MOVED BY Skrief SECONDED BY Hazgens IN FAVOR 10 AGAIl�IST 0 ABSTAIN 0 W a m w � 6 a � 6 z 'a N Y N i V j x i �. � Y r ^ t� � � N � v � � � �: � T'�"� • � .� � . _ ` O-: '+,r� � � -r � � ^ � � � � '�i/ p"'1 . �.:' y ' _' _ O� mG 9 r A C � m � 4 G � � i � m � m O —ac n�y %a— �— a ° o t�L F t 3 Ts ' c dO i��. �" � L O � N � � O �O �y o j 'y . ir ��p 0. .� y �3 EEe"' ..,p mv m: iy o �6 = y d f' _� W y C y O Q �O y�Y 4 y6 N C9 d d �WVI � s� `�9a3�o .`� d>.`�oo > 0 ia�' m 3 ..�.`o �s c �°�' 6�i.�n O:r G d 6v.'i��T t m � Y'> W � R �O o�c� EcG°E� b 0 � 0 V � W � } W 4 R ." % . L� d i' 3 f�^ E� �" a�" y o p � E w� c ` � � _ � d 0.'� � q y w�+u cm4y ' > Qi ��d g Q B[C sa,>�..j�q� SLOO ��9��OW[Y. L d �__ °i�e°a` W'S� ^1 3 0 y R w � L y} O $ F V W O r� tia° ''0.' 0 ' = �d o v a E p .� y c ° c m""E d v E3 >.'_ dv 3:: a. m C y y a+ = u v:°.`°°eC m A N 3� � F W N N A y � s=.. . mma��e °p s e � a N�Crr 3'mv E �a. ca� m � y�a d:v a�i'L�m py �nsuc`E am...; k.b-'>ma� �+m�o� c n`a`°i"aS.o-°-otcxi a�� o c�ia� d o�� o ,g 9 � � � > .. ,� < .. o ..a��Qi�� a C O Y " R o��mawvd�°z� � U C = y��Qi 4 ` V� d 9 � F" N�' N� 3 y 0. O u � L 'e -� y ;a'"m" m`� o C m w— � E y i°°a Z u.c � a '>-0 N m��O v � � � X•�� a g .�' ��•� 0 � •_ � � •� 3 h 0 3 O � e G�� .131�' mmx qEc F +�.r G 3 y' C .�. V � p dam yd U a � �a� �d� � ,., o'E m m u� � ;rsd m � Q�� >AI�i PnIL PIO�EER PRE5S q �1-��'� REVENU� ♦ CONiINUEOFROM IB town and unavailable for com- ment. "IYs important to the city's re7ationship mith the state and a great coatributar to our increasing urban vitality." "We are ezcited that the new revenue facility wi3f remain m St. Paul," said Administratioo Com- missioner Elaine Hansen. "The pro}ect location represents the SWte of Minnesota's and ihe Cip; oE St. PauPS long-term develop- ment plans to tie the State Capitol complex and downtown business d'utrict more dosely together." "I thiak it's probably a good de- cision from the standpoint oE pea ple taking buses," said Donita Haack, head of a hfinnesota :1sso- ciation of Professional Employees union chapter that includes sever al department employees. A move to Inver Grove Heigkts �rau(d bave required establishing nem Dus routes for commuting employ- ees. The state was unable to reach a purcLase agteemeat with Trooien for the building they are leasing. It offered a maximam of $23 mif- lioo for the structure that state afiicials said need extensive re- modeling to accommodate new tecAnology aed space needs. "S don't know that Ym the loset. 1 thmk the tazpayers ot Minnesoca are Ne tosers;' said Trooien. He said the state could have pur- chased and remodeled his building ac a total cost of 540 million to Si: mi11i0n, saving taxpayers more than E30 million. The state, hoRever, dispute8 those figures and was under a tegislative man- da:e to gi��e preference to She Cap- itol site. Trooien sa�d he wil! seek ne� tenants for [he building. The option o[ building in the CapitoS complex sudaced in the citc s legisia[ive delegation, who were alarmed over tne possi6fe move to Inver Grove Heigh[s. Spearhead by Sen. Richard Cohen, a DFI.er who chairs a key state gorernment finance committee, tAe delega[ion rounded up biparti- san support to designate a Capitol tocatsan as the preferred site. A macimum ot g)5 mlllion }cas ap- propriated. A:ter reviewing three proposals, a usk force of state agencies se- lec[ed a glan submitted by Ham- mel Green and Abrahamson Archi- tecu and Ryan Construction. One concetn wa: the preserva- tion of tAe William Dah] House at 336 13th St., a cacant one-story Greek Revival broadside home built in 1856. It is the last remain- ing residence in the city's Lower- town a�ea. Owned by the state, it was placed on the National Regu- ter o( Historic Places in 1918. It was built by William Daht, who came from England to St. Pavi when Dfinnesota was still a tetri- cory. He was a shopkeeper and worked as a cleck, census taker and general agent far the Hudson Bay Co.The father of Archbishop John Ireland atso u�orked on con- structian ot the house. The state proposes to restore it and use it as a tax form center adjacent to the new building, an option it is discussing with the state Historical Society. �� VIONfER �RESS The site for the new Minnasota Revenue DeDartment building is adJacent to tha Dahl Housa at 36 13th St. The architecturalty signiftcant dwefiing, which will be preserved, is the tast reeiCence in tha immetllate area; the father of Archbishop John Irsiand wo[ketl on cnnstructtun of the house. � � � �� FILE: WILLIAM DAAL HOBSE, 136 TAIRTEENTH ST., ST. PAUL Construction of - Revenue building to start t�iis vveek ■ Historic Daht House:Mrill be preserved _ and_ incorporated. into. new structure ' � GARY �AWSON'sra�wwrEa ; S omething v¢ry oid and somettdng brand new will be included in the new state Revenue Department building when constnya tion gets under wap in the Capitol azea this week, Tbe historic Dah( House, an 1858 structure t6at is the last remaining home from Lowertown, St� Pau1's first major resi- dential arna wilI be preserved and incorporated into the rev- enue building°s north entraace plaza. While preserving the old,�the state is ringing in a new era with tt�e first rnnctruclion of aa office building to house state agencies in the Capito! .area since the Administration Building was compteted in 1967. `�'he project s6ows our commitment to the wre cities and to keeping the Capitot complex intact, Gov. Arne Carlson said wLen he announced a gronndbreaking ceremony woald be at 11 a.m. Wednesdap. -- (continuea next page) From: St. P•�:il Pioneer Press, Monday, September 1, 1997 q�.��2-y FILE: _ 4C F WILLIAM DAAL HOUSE� 136 THIRTEENTH ST., ST. PAUL �REVENUE ' '-� CDNTiNUEDFROM iC "•� 'After 30 years of agencies eait- �:ing the azea to lease or buiid need• '��-ed larger offices elsewhere, Yhe ';;'.�building is the first structure to be ••,,,�: built in the Capitot comples tmder :� aa master plan nnveiled in 1994. In `�� that plan, Carlson and the Admin- °��isEration DeparLment ptoposed :::. the CapiWi the focus of • �+':4uture state government construc- "_tion. ._ But until this pear, the Legisla- .�: ttire balked at the idea. Renting or •�•. building outside the Capitol azea �;,; has Deen a cheap, popular alterna- ., .Gve to complying svith tpe p,apen. .�_�sive desi�n regulations goveraing `coastructson in the historic Capitol - yope. - - When the Revenue Department ':' decided !o move aut of its cunent •�-headquarters at 10 River Place — ``: across the Mississippi River from ";;,�.downtown St. Paul — bq Novem- _^ber 1998, S� Paal legislators won MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1997, a hard-fought battle in the 1997 legislative session to keep the agency in the city. The four-story building housing 1,200 employees will be located immediately north of Interstate 94 betweea Robert and Jackson streets. • It will include a 941-car parking ramp to the wesi across Robert Stteet and north of Columbus Ave- nue, adjacent to the Ceatennial The building is the �irst stcucture to be buitt in the Capitol complex uader a master pian unveiled in 1994. Building Parking Ramp. A 50- space pubiic parking lot wili be located north of the IIa1il House and the affice bui(ding, with 13ih Street being vacated. State officials are discussin& a proposal ta use the house as a tourist information center for the Capitol area. The state-owned home is a va- cant one-story Greek Revival broadside built in 1858 by William Dahl. Emigrating from England to SG Paul when the state mas still a territory, he was a shopkeeper, census taker, derk and a genera] agentfor the Hudson Bay Co. One of the partners of the home's building contractor, Rich- ard Ireland, was the father of Archbishop John Ireland. The state proposes to raise t6e house seven feet to make iY level with the first floor of the Revenue Building and temove a 1962 din- ing-recreatiun room additioa that is not consistent with Yhe original architecture. The home was origi- nalty a 20-by.30-foot structure. A kitchen added in 1886 would be kept. The house was placed on the Na[ional Register of Historic Places in 1978. From: St. Paul Pioneer Press, t9onc�ay, Seotemb?r 1, 1947 SI.PP�U� p1oNEER- P�SS, 9�1�•57, FP•IR,4A Historic ho«se se�ks shelter iii b�lr�aucratic �tarnl �ARRY M�ILETi s:ur aau[a P'S.s hisforic monomenls go, thc U'�Iliam Deh{ housc on Ilth Strce[ in St. Paul uill necer 6e eon(used uith Ne Taj M1Sahal. Exr.pt for a{eu teiltale Jetails, the stucro-Nad, one-story house might udi pass toC a 195US-eintagc bungalow somchow mamuned in lSc shadon of ihc SW[e CapiLOl. . Yet beneath its many layers ut remodeling. ihc housc liaz a ton� and fascinu(ing history lfiat goes ali ihc uay back to 7858, tlie } 1Sin- nesota became a statc. It x�as Luil� tor Dahl, an Englisb immigran[. and fiis irish wife, and is descrilxJ Ly SL Yaul 6uWrian .lamcs Sazecich as "a umyue Is��losic resoutce" in lhe C1�VlUi �iCB. :�ow, hox�cvcr, this unassuming and unlikely urUan survivor hzs become tLe cenlerpi�re af a moun4 ing presen•aLOm m�troceay. r1i issue is x�hclhcr thc long- vacant house, owned by the state , HOUSE cor.u::um w+ 4A � TTe Dehl Houae, datlny to 1858, Ii "e YniquO �IB- totic rosourco.'• aays St. Paul hIs- fo�lan /ames Sa- zerlch. But the CaDitol•aroa landmark may �are to De movoE or Eomol- IMaE fo make way tor a new 370 mlUlon build- tn¢ Galne con• structod tortho Minnewte Revo- mo Dopartmon2. PIQIIEER PRE55 H��-Iistoric bu�ld:�g's fa�e �ow u��ertain ♦ CoNrwuFA vRW u sincc 7972, should bc inwrporated into a nem t10 million building being construcb ed for the ldianrsoW Revenue Depart- menL U tLe house, wMch is listed on the National Rcgistcr oF Historic Places, isn't induded in tbe Revenue Department project, theo it uill either have to be mwed or. more likely, demolished. Tbose possibilities do not set we7l with preservalionisLs like Sazevich, who has 9pCpl yeats documenting the Dahl house's history. '4 think it would make a perfect liitle �ffice tor oue of We smallet state agen- •iev," he says. 'YCs chazmiag. 1t's }ast he right humaa scale." As o( ualy CRO weeks ago, the house �as in tact ioctnded'io architects' plans x the new Revenue Building. Since iea, the house seems tu have disap- eaced from those p3ans, for reasous that ren't entirely dcar. Elaine HaaSCa, state administration +mmissioner, says lhe problem is that ere is no money in tbe budget to re� xe and adapt the house, which by one chiteMY eslimale rnvid cost as much i{00.000 — a figure Sazevich contends 8rosstq infSated. This is w6ere the situation becomes uusing. Hansen uys the project Dud- : dces include 5350,000 to'•protect" t�c iae trom danuge mhite the Revenue tlding is going up directly bchind it. 'et the state has only now begun to IerWce a study, with t6e fdinneSOW Wrical Society, to detetmiae wpetker Uie Dousc can in tact bc reuscd on lhis S{LC. So why has the sWle budgcteJ §350,000 to "protecP' a propefty it is nul even sure it Las a use tot? liansen says lhc sW tc is simply foliox•- ing the letter of thc la�r as it applica to designated historic 7roperties. LA Gov. Joanne Benson, trho chairs Ihe Capita! Atca Architectutal and Ptanning Board, is less cerWm a6out aiwt ttie $350,00� is inteuded Lar, sa�mg, "1 don't tiunk there's a clear unde:star.�ling of Utat situaUon." Nonetheless, Benson says she does 5upport Nc reusc s:udy. What is clear is that the Revenue De- partment projcet is moving forward at warp speed, xitL Ihe nea• 100,000-square- foot building scheduled to open by ha vember 1998, m4en tde department must vacate ifs current headquarlets on thc A'est Side nvcrtront. Tlils tast construction pace may heip explain w�h}� the tate of the Dakl lmuse scems to have become such a last-miaute cansidcration. AMthe[ problem is Shat the houx is a bureaucraGC orphan Shat no state agency wishes ta claim as its oa�n. StaLc-ow�ncd properues, Wstoric or not, normalty arc under the contrnl of a specitic deparG ment. But thc Dahl House, for somc rca- son, is owned by thc ;tatc Sn general, and so far no ageney or �eparUncnt has vol- unteered to take on the expense of restor- ing and mainWining it. Nor is Wcrc any doubt that thc house nceds some sigriiIIcant mstoralion 6e- youd the iuuc af its potcr.tiat usc. The Lousc has�txo�additions, usually high stonc basement (thc house was raised in thc 1DDOs to accommodale a gradc change) and u likcly have to 6e raised ano�hcr seven tmt to fit m w•it4 U�e Revenue DeQartment pto}ect. Thcre arc also qucctians a: W how mucL of the l�euse is in facl original.One state archLLCCturat adviser [hinF;s that on- ly aboul 15 perecnt ot whaCs 3ett in lhe Louse dates to thc 1850s, an assessment Sauvic6 vigorously disputes. \fcanuhile, kiaosen noees thal prescr- vationists havc had more than 20 yean to offer a wori:ablc p7�n for reusing Wc house but so far "no one has stepped forxard" Sazwich, howeveq contends the 5tate lias made 3ittic or no efiort ovcr the ycan to find a suiWble usc tor the prop- crtv. 5o pas5ionate is SazeviCL about the house that he Las even put together a "top 12° list of rcasons it should be pt� scrved. Among them: The 6ouse is the oldest survir�m6 stmc(ure in the SWte Capitol arw; iPS one of lhe 20 oldrst houses any�nc�rc in S4 Paul; it was 6vilt by Richard Ireland, father of Johp Ire� land, ihe famed archbishop of SL Paul; and, perdaps musl �mpartanE, the houtc is an cxccllent exampte ot tke kind o[ modest dweliing thc �carl;ing penple ot St. Paul — as opposed W the naDobs of Surnmit Ave�me — once lived in. Itut as construction moves iuexorab1y foru•ard an the new Revenue Bnilding, pressure to remove thc house seems like- ly to grow, in which casc it may finallq becomc a house x a home. ��. � Y� �� , l ��,y St. Paul weighs merits - and #ate - of 1858 house By Curt Brown Star?riGune Stnjf l9'riter Bulldozers rumble around the 139-pear- old 11'illiam Dah! House, the last ti+•orking- class cottage left from the thrivingSt. Paul immigranc neighborhood slo�+�ly consumed by the spreading State Capito! complex Some ten�ent presen�ationists, including Daht's 86-cear-oid great-grandson, hope cheir cties to save the simple Iittle house can be heard over the roar otthe earth-mo��ing equipment preparing the way for the state Reeenue Department's new 570 miliion home, scheduled to open next year. ' But they're worried. Awfutly i+�orried. Gov. Arne Carlson called the Dahl House "ug}y" at the Revenue Building ground- breaking last month. He joins a group of state bureaucrats, architects and histozians, induding'.lacalester College Prof. David Ianegran, ti•ho insist that demotishing or mo��ng che oft-remodeled old house i+•ould be no great loss. But last u+�eek a strongly worded resolu• tion seeking to sa��e the Dahl House was approved by the St, Paut Heritage Preserva- tion Commissian. TY�rn fo HOUSf on 84 �Chr�Tt��avur , IU•t.g� ��. 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G u E- a+ .. � ^ " � = e O . � F -e_n.,e=c=°�o� ��c��y�cn��c=cn� � O�VLr�__ n��: 4�.^rV� w L��VULCCIC_� OE �_ __O�VGYV�VI�fVC'C�r'YiynGOFA43n�VV Y '�� c' pu'_ona�.3^�C=��=�ox �$ �.._� �...=o�u=_ `�cE c`�.c= y �S -�� ' ` L6 • i �o� `anas�izl -��+�,5 . . y � � = C .� N � n r `o� .p D � V = O `^- .� � What's Historic About this Site? 7�ie Dahl House: The Last of Old Lvwertown Editor's Note: 77iis is the frrst in a series of arricles on Ramsey Counry's historic sires x=hich will be published in fonh- cor7:ing issues of Ramsey County History. I� ne of the most unlikely of Ramsey Counry's historic sites, for those of us who think of them in terms ofthe mansions ofthe rich, is a one-story, stucco-covered cottage on the edge of the approach to the capitol. Bui the William Dahl house at 136 Thir- teenth Street, deserves its listing on the Nationat Rezister of Hisroric Places as the last survivins residence of the once- residential Lowertown district. William Dahl, who came to Min- nesota Territory from En:land about 1844, was a man of several occupations. Early St. Paul tecords (ist him as a clerk, census taker, shopkeeper and general aLent for the Hudsons Bay Company. In 1857 Aahl purchased a lot on the edLe of Lowertown and around the cor- ner from the sturdy two-story stone structure fur trader Norman Kittson was building onJacksonbetween Twelfthand Thineenth Streets. Dahi completed his wood frame Greek Rivival cotta=e the fo(lowing summer. His contractor was Ireland and Donavan. The "Ireland" in the partnership was Richard Ireland, Nhose son, Jahn, became the first arch- >ishop of St. Paul. The original Dahl house measured wenty by thirty feet with a low-pitched able roof and a fuil basement. As the �ars passed, two additions were made to e house. The first, added around 18$b, cluded a nineteen by sixteen-foot kit- en attached to the rear of the kouse. In �b2 a fifreen by sixreen-foot din- ;hecreation room was added to the kit- '! :n and the entire structure was covered i h stucco. � Wrlliam Dah!'s house {ar�ow) in St. Pau! in 7866-7 jtop photoJ. This view from Mount Airy was taken by Whrtney's Gal�ery, Si. Pau�. Below is the house as it /ooked in 7936. A. F. Raymond photograph. The main livjng rooms for William Dahl and his family were in the basement of their new home. Unheated sleeping quarters occupied the main floor. William lived there only a few months, however. He died of consumption in September, 1858, leavin� his wife, Catherine, who was pregnant with their third child, to sup}wrt the family. Shedid so by [aking in washing. The Dahls' only son, Edward, went into the fumiture business at the age of 13 to help wiih the family's expenses, and he inherited the homestead when his mother died in 1901. By that time Edward had retired from the fumiture business he had operated for twenty-five years and was devoting al1 of his time to serving as a secretary for the St. Pau1 Junior Pioneers. In 1889 he had been a founder of the Pioneers, a civic-minded group �� dedicated to supporting the city's development and preserving its heritage. Edward and his wife, Sophia, lived in Ihe house until the summer of 1936, when he sold it to Roy Patterson. The next year Edward died at the age of 81. The Pattersons remodeled the house ex- tensively and raised their children there before Mrs. Patterson sold the property to the state of Minnesota after her hus- band's death. The state used the house as offices for the criminal system om- budsman. The house still stands as one of ; ihe iast remaining reminders of St. Paul's ' pioneer past. When Edward Dah1 moved from his boyhood home in 1936, he recalled for a newspaper reporter some memories of the years when he and the city were growing up rogether: "There's a lot of sentiment stored away in this house,"he said. "Father died here and so did mother. ... When I was a kid [in the ISbOs], I used to pick hazel nuts up the hil! yonder," he con- tinued, pointin� toward the state capitol, "and across Robert Street were the Tip- perary flats. It was covered with shacks " Kittson's house has long since been demolished, as have all of the other homes that once graced Lowertown, but the home that William Daht built for his family 132 years ago expresses the lifestyle of the common folk of that period. Spr�� I�t°tC 11;;1� ��.� ?�, ;�I�."�k� j -- aa�nsercour+nmsroav n '.< - IPSOTA - ': `. - �t:of - aiion `=-!�:'; �1!�i��i�� i " ! • . � :r ' t' STAiE OF MINNESOTn Department of Administration 1(10 AdmFn".rnr:n B SO Sherbume Avrnue Saint Paul. Mivnaota SSISS C6I21�3862 Mchitatural Design OFFICE OF THE COMMISS[ONER February 12, 1992 'The Honorabie Arne H. Carlson Governor 130 State Capitol Building Patrick E. Flahaven Secretary of the Senate 231 State Capitol BuiIding Edward A. Burdick Chief Clerk House of Representatives 211 State Capitol Building Dear Gentlemen: q �,� , ti'� Building Code Pursuant to Minnesota Laws 1991, Cha�ter 345, Article 1, Section 17, B "'` a '"g �°`""""`°° Subdivision 4, the Department of Adirumstration has completed the study of the Contratting historic renovation and potential reuse of the Dahl House. Data Pnctias Dau Procaang �+D�oYa Assistanx �nBY Conservation �� nta�og�� Infomution Managrnunt m�enrory hiar,asemw�c i.ocal Govttmmml Sys[cros Mmagemrnt Analysis PSast Managemem P+inring & Mailing Pu6lic Documrnts Purthuing Rnl &ute Managwrnt Raords Managemmt Aesourx Raycling Sta[c Bookstott Telecommunicazions Volumeer Servicc The enclosed report represents the department's findings and its recommendations to the Legisiature. Sincerely, A.,.,.. i3. is Dana B. Ba ger w COIIlIl11SSi0 e DBB:WMFi:ns Enclosure �. � � � q � -��1r Table ofi Contents Executive Summary and Introduction Historic Registration Physical tntegrity Reuse and Cost Op�ions East Capitol Area 1991 Architect/Eng�neer's Analysis 1991 Architec#/Engineer's Cost Da#a 1977 Miiler-- Dunwiddie Report �t 977 Nationaf Registry Forms 1974-1976, Excerpts from CAAPB Meetings � C.arolinal' Acknowfedgments � �� , ,�1y February 11, 1992 Executive Summary The Minnesota Legislature directed the Department of Administration in consultation with the CAAPB to study the historic renovation and potential reuse of the Dahl House. In 1977 the Dah1 House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the last surviving residence in Lowertown, an expression of the lifestyle of common people in St. Paul and the change a community experiences over 120 years of growth. Restoration of the Dahl House requires up to 85 percent replacement of the existing structure. Relocation of the building to a corner parcel will allow development of the rest of the block and not restrict long-range strategic planning and development of the East Capitol Area. Once relocated and renovated, the house could be used for one of three functions; a bookstore, an information center, or as an adjunct to a major building. It is recommended that a reuse of the Dahl Flouse be £ocused on incorporating it into a larger develapment on the block. � y ��.1'S Introduction The Laws of Minnesota 1991, Chapter 345, Article 1, Section 17 Subdivision 4, require that "the dapartment of administration consultation with the capitol area architectural and planning board shall study the historic renovation and potential reuse the Dahl House and report to the senate finance and house appropriations committees by February 1, 1992." in of In response to that legislative directive, individual staff members from the following aqencies and firms were a part of the Dahl xouse study and contributed to its conclusions. Department of Administration, Office of Building Construction Division Real Estate Management Division Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Miller/Dunwiddie Architects, Inc. the Commissioner Board (CAAPB) Significant to this study was the realization that past records, historic plats and plans of the Dahl House were still relevant, both from a historical and physical perspective. In 1989 the Department of Administration developed "an overview" of Capitol area properties emphasizing land acquisition and development gotential. In 1990 the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board specifically developed a design framework study for urban development of the east Capitol area. Both studies will be a valuable resource for the comprehensive strategic plan of state properties, particularly the focus on St. Paul and the Capitol area. All of these studies are important to the future of the Dahl House, since its present location is on prime state-owned property destined for redevelopment. There are four separate issues to address in examining the future of the Dahl House. 1. Its historic registration. 2. The physical integrity of the existing structure. 3. A recommended reuse of the facility. a. The impact on the East Capitol Area. q � -�� Reuse structurally the Dahl House has deteriorated to the point that it should be totally renovated. One of the key questions is whether the building has sufficient historical significance to justify a restoration and replication o£ the primary components required to preserve it. The committee discussed the reuse of the facility and determined it could have three potential functions, assuming it were to be renovated. A. A state operated retail outlet, i.e., a book store. B. A state operated visitor information center for the Capitol area. C. An office or conference suite adjunct to a major state building an the block. Since the Dahl House could have a direct ef£ect on the development of several properties in the East Capitol Area, the committee evaluated the potential of moving the building to locations on the present block or to other Capitol area locations that have more architectural exposure. However, a move from its original site may place the historic registry of the Dahl House in jeopardy. That issue would require further review for each relocation site. Another possibility is to have the Minnesota Historical Society form a preservation consulting team to develop an in-depth historic evaluation in keeping with such recent historic "use" studies as the Veblen Farmstead, Tettegouche Camp, Old Main at the University of Minnesota/DUluth and the Sherburne County courthouse, to name a few. The Capital Budget Reform steering committee is concurrently recommending to the Leqislature that the Department of Administration develop a strategic plan for locating state agencies in the metropolitan area. This would include formulation of a master plan for development and use of property in the capitol area and a travel management plan to quide the location of parking facilities in the Capitol area. By renovating and relocating the Dahl Aouse to one of the corners o£ the block it is on, the rest of the block would be available for development and implementation of potential office and parking facilities that may be proposed by the strategic plan and the master plan for the Cagitol area, if apgroved. Moving a renovated Dahl House to the corner of the block provides more flexibility for planning and construction of the rest of the block, while preserving the historical significance oP the house in its Lowertown neighborhood. Once relocated, the house could be used for one of the three functions outlined herein - a bookstore, an information center, or as an adjunct to a major building. To determine other uses a further study by the Historicai Society would be necessary. For maximum fiexibility in development of the block and at the lowest cost to the state, the building could be razed. � � ��. \��'� 1 � Rev Ontions and Estimated Costs � The total area of the original structure is 1,053 square feet on both the main and basement levels with the open porch having an additional 120 square feet, for a total of 2,226 gross square feet. If the Dahl House were renovated, the usable area may be reduced by removal of part or relocation on to a new foundation. The following are key options in the reuse of the Dahl House. ■ Move the Dahl House if the Dahl house were to be moved to a location an the same block, the cost, including a new foundation, would be $20,000. If the Dahl House were moved to other sites in the Capitol area, the increased moving distance and city street fees would increase the cost to $30,000. ■ Restore To excavate and remove the old basement, including foundations, demolish the 1962 dining room addition, provide a new basement, all exterior replication and structural stabilization, the cost is estimated to be $125,000. To completely restore the interior, add $44,000. To provide for leasehold improvements for a specific state tenant add $31,000 as an allowance. To do all items in this category would cost $200,000. ■ Demolish The Dahl House could be razed for an estimated cost of $12,000. ■ A State Historical Preservation Consultinq Team The Historical Society has selected both national and regional historians to participate in past preservation consulting seminars. These '�reuse" studies have averaged in cost from $20,000 to $25,000. . TABLE OE CONTENTS Page I. INTTZODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. GENERAL DESCRIPTION QF THE BUILDING ........ 3 A. DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 B. HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 C. ARCIiITECTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 D. STRUCT'IIRAL ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 E. MECfiANSCAL AND ELECTRICAL ANALYSIS ....... 12 III. RESTORATION PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 A. ADAPTIVE USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 B. RECOb4�lEf3DED Rb'STORATION DATE . . . . . . . . . . 15 C. WORK PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 D. COST OF RESTORATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 E. FI7NDING . . . . ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 F. RECOPII�NDED PRIORIT7ES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 G. PROCEDURE FOR ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 IV. CONCI,USION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 FOOTNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 BIBLIOGRAPFiY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 q �_ 1�� y �� .ti� IV. CONCLUSION In 1865 a photographer stood at the top of Mount Airy and recorded in a series of panoramic views the adolescent city of Sai.nt Pau1. From Dayton.'s Bluff to S�it Hill the city lay beneath him. At the fringe of the residential area, lmown as Lowertown, sunotmded by a fenced pasture, the House appeazs, Today, it is one of the.£ew buildings surviving within the range of those views. This structure provides a unique opportunity to interpret the lives of �the people who foxmed the backbone of Saint Paul. Their lives are saore closely related to the majority of ots present day population than those who built the showQlaces on Ramsey Hi11. As the last surviving residence in Lowertown, the Dahl House can serve to remind the visitor of the importance of that early area. Also by comparison, its surroundings exQress the many changes of the past 119 years. In August of 1970 the Canitol Area Architectural and Plannine Co�mui.ssion presented, to the Legislature, a comprehensive use plan for the �Linnesota State Capitol Area. "The p1an contained four major concepts which form building . blocks for an ordezly growth pattem in the Capitol Area." The restoration program proposed in this report not only follows the guidelines set forth in the comprehensive plan but also highlights the history of early St. Paul and conforms to the proposed use of the area. The William Dahl House, which lies in the shadow of the State Capitol, is a simple and utilitarian design which was so populaz i.n the late 1800's throughout Minnesota. Many similar structures have long since disappeared from the modern and mechanized areas of our cities, victims of the wrecking 31 � a . ball and the bulldozer Saint Paul is fortunate to have this imique ;structure still intact and in restorable condition. A careful analysis o£ the Willizm Dahl House indicates that the �?-1� 32 �building is i.n excellent condition, can be restored to its original design ared �preserved for a n�ber of adaptive uses. But it is not enough to preserve empty buildings as morn�ments to the past. Their ultimate survival and preservation depends upon sound economics and programs for their continued use, although the use may be quite different from its original purpose. Pseliminary study indicates that there are viable alternative uses £or the building. Several possibilities for fundi.ng of the restoration work have been suggested in this rsport. However, it remains for interested citizens, groups and public officials to work out detailed programs and fimding for the preservation of the building. This report has attempted to put into cleazer focus the historical and architectural significance of the William Dah1 House and the role it played in the development of the City of Saint Paul. It is to be hoped that it can con- tinne to serve a useful purpose in the cotmnunity to remind us of our heritage. . i _ � OE' TFiE CITY OF SAINT PAIIL, 1946 23 - SECTION 1 . That the agreement created as of the effective date oE this ordinance between the CiYy of Saint Paui and the above flescribed representative on file in ihe office of the City�Clerk is hereby ap- proved and the authorized administra- tive officials o£ the CitY are hereby authorized and directed to execute said agreement on behalf of the City. SECTION 2 That the wage schedule indicated in the Agreement with the above-de- scribed representative shail take force and effect retroactively to the dates set forth in ihe agreement and in accord- ance with the expressed intent of the agreement of this Council contained in Council File Numbers 262768 and 262851. SECTION 3 That any other ordinance, rule or iegulation in force when said agree- ment takes effect inconsistent with any provisions of the terms or conditions of said agreement is hereby repealed. SECTION 4 This ordinance shall take effect and be in force thirty days after its passage, approval, and publication. Adopted by the Council January 22, 1976. Yeas—Councilmen Christensen, Hunt, Levine. Sylvester, Tedesco, Mr. Presi- dent {Hozza)-6. Nays-0. Approved January 26, 19i6. LAW�ENCE D. COHEN, Mayor. (January 31, 1976) tiE50LUTIONS mittee to study and Yeport on uses ior the Dahl House on its present site which would be reminiscent of and compatible with its historical signifi- cance: and be it Further Resolved, That the committee will also make a determination on How mueh restoration is needed to render the structure useful {ar the Further Resolved, That said commit- tee tivill report its findings back to the City within a period o£ not to eaceed 60 days aftei members are appointed; and be it Further Resolved, ThaE membership en the committee be composed of a rePresentative of each of the £o3lowin� i, the f of the Pau7 City Councii, and the : Mayor's Ot�ice; and be 3t Further Resolved, That the is reauested to annoint as a 31 �in bringing this matter by the Council January 20. 26, 1976. 31, 1976) Council File No. 266655—By Leonard W. Levine— Whereas, Chapter 19 of the Adminis- trative Code requires that the City Council shall each year determine the streets on which trees shall be snain- tained, together with the estimated amount oE service charges to be levied against benefited property for such tree maintenance, and prior to such deter- mination that the Council shall conduct a public hearin� on the pronosed for- Council File No. 2666�19—By David H. Whereas. The Department of Com- Houa— munity Services has presented the �i'hereas, The Dahl House, located at proposed 1976 fore52ry maintenance 136 Thitteenth Street in Saint Paul, Program for Council consideration; built. in Yhe same year that iYIinnesota now, there£ore, be it becamc a statc. is one o£ the few Resolved, That the Council of thc remaining houses as old as the state; Cit,y of Saint Paul does hereby declare and a public hearing shall 'be he]d on the ��'hereas, The Dahl I-Souse is one of a 17Yh day of February, 3976, beiore the verp few exampSes remaining of a. City Council for the purpose of con- residence of the "common man" to sidering the approval of the 19?G surcice from the pioneer era of St. £orestry maintenance pro�ram, and Paul; and the City Clerk is hereby d�rected io l�'hereas, The Minnesota Aistorical publish the prescribed notice in a le�ai Sociexy has Sound that the Dahl House newspaper at least ricice, the last possesses historical si�nificance ior al] publication bein� no less 3han one the City of St. Paul and that it merits ��eek prior to Yhe public hcaring, a presercation, ii at all possible on its copy of the approved notice bein� at- present site; and tached hereto. R'hereas. The Capito] Area Archi- Adopted by the Council Januarp ?�. tectur2l and Planning Board has ioundl tha2 ;he house, on its nresent sitc.'� Approved January 2G, 1�:6. �souid ha�•c no adverse eiSects on the fJanuary 31, 19ifi Master Pian Sor the Capitol area: and� �t'hereas. The house is o�cned by the � State o£ 111innesota, and is intended Lo � Council Fi7e No. 266&56—By Leonard A'. be aemolished ior use bp the state Levine-- motor pool; no�c, therefore, be it Resolved. That the Council oi the Resolved. That the St. Paul Citr Cii�• of Saint Paul hereby ratifies and Council records its intent to im�esti�ate appro�•es the action of the City of Saint all acenues o£ preservin� this historic ; Pau] Board o£ Appeals and Review per- structure on its present siTe• and be it I tainin� to the £ollou•in� listed propert}• Furiher Resolved, That the Council � and as shotvn bY the Escerpted Min- requests Yhe Mayor to appoint a com- � utes of said Board of Appcals and q ' 1 .��`'� _\ THE MINNESOTA MUTUAL LIFE INSUflANCE COMPANY 400 RoBErri STREEf Noattf S7. Pnu4 MN 5510b2098 Pn 612/665-3437 �'F{;�I`Y =� OFrl�_ C= _,=�' ��cc�2o �:-;if��6 I(ein� M. Ca�faeEu V� Ppesiowr October 17, 1997 Ms. Tracey Baker, Chair Heritage Preservation Commissi�n City of St. Paul 350 St. Peter Street #300 St. Paul, MN 55102-1510 Dear Ms. Baker: � �.8' `� � 1 J O� � MINNESOTA MUTUA� A variety of Minnesota Mutual people received your October 2, 19971etter regarding the Bremer Tower (formerly Cardozo Building). Initially, we are building space for an additional 2,000 new employees. In approximately 2010, we prabably will build again on that biock to handle our growth needs through 2020. The second construction phase would house about 1,500 new employees. After a great deal of thought, discussion, and planning, we feel Minnesota Mutual's need for expansion space through 2020 requires a full city block. Several months ago the City of St. Paul and the St. Paul Port Authority approached Minnesota Mutual with a proposal to provide that block to us sometime in early 1998 following the demolishing of all eacisting, mostly vacant stnxctures on the site. The City and other members of the public sector have worked diligently finding ways to accoi�une�date our significan: expansion needs over the next twenty years. Frankly, their response made St. Paul a competitive location relative to other altematives Minnesota Mutual was considering. We have e�ensively discussed your requests with our architects, the contractor, our Site Selection Committee and members from the public sector (HRA, the City and the Port Authority). We see no alternative where all, or parts, of the Bremer Tower can be part of our plan. While we think highly of the goals of the Commission, and have respect for the work you are doing, for a variety of reasons we believe we need an entire block without any e�sting structures on it. October 17, 1997 Page Two Regarding your comments on the architectural value of urban renewal, we want to assure you we will act responsibly to design and build a building of superior quality. Our current building on 400 North Robert Street is not "bland or soulless," at least in our eyes. In fact, we have been told by many people that our eacisting building was an excellent addition to St. Paul and that the public spaces are interesting additions aY street level as well as for skyway visiYOrs. We will endeavor to bring in a building of value which will add to the character and richness of our central city. We certainly regret any philosophical conflict this creates for your advisory commission. Our intent now is to build upon the strengths of our currenT building and develop an expansion facility that is equally successful and of value to the downtown azea. Sincerely, � e�h pbell ' � Chairman of the Site Selection Committee KC/ttn cc: 7ulio Fesser, Minnesota Mutual George Fremder, Minnesota Mutual 7ohn Lund, Minnesota Mutual Mayor Coleman City Council Members Carl Remick, Architectural Alliance Tom DeAngelo, Architecturai Alliance Dennis Mulvey, McGough Construction Robert Kessler, LIEP Pam Wheelock, PED L Thompson, PED iVti:iavt F�°.�iiP^vh.v.C1i�°.i� P�•T�l Bill Morin, Port Authority Mary Nelson, Capital River Council �� E,� be� 1 / /S/y'7 Council File �` `�� t h L " L- Ordinance # Green Sheet # vv� � I RESOLUT{0111 Presented Referred 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 il 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 i2 �3 ¢ 5 6 7 3 � WHEREAS, lristoric preservation and new development aze compatible parmers and both aze important to the health, vitality and welfare of the city; and WfIEREA5, Saint Paul's lristory is strong part of the city's identity and physical evidence of that history enriches the city's ueighbozhoods �d downtown; and WHEREAS, growth and new development aze also essential to the city's heakh, yet historic buildings and sites are too often viewed as obsolete and eapendable in order to accommodate new developme�rt; and WFIEREAS, �ampies of historic buildings that have been integated with new development, some of which had been threatened with demolition, include the 7ackson Street Shops at Empire Builder Park, the Landmark Center, the McColl Building adjacent to Galtier Plaza, Blair House and Hill Plaza at SelbyiWestern, the Como Shops (Bandana Square, etc.) in Energy Park, and the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis; and WHEREAS, the Dahl House is now threateved with demolition; and WHEREAS, ffie William and Catherine Dahl House at 136 Thirteenth Street was constructed in 1858, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is historically significant as the last surviving residence in the once-residential Lowertown azea (that area which developed around the Lower Landing), as the oldest s(ructure in the State Capitol azea, as a raze eacample of a Greek Revival siyle residence, and as an eacpression both of the growth and change of Saint Paul over the past 139 years and of modest, worldng class housing that was most common in Saint Paul; and WHEREAS, arclritectural lustorian Jef&ey Hess has written that the Dahl House is "the best surviving example of the city's modest, one-story frame houses of the 1850s' ; and WHEREAS, Yhe Saint Paul City Cowicil passed a resolution in 1976, when the Dahi House was also threatened by demolition, recording "its intent to investigate a11 avenues of preserving tlris lristoric structure on its present site", which resolution led to a reuse feasibility study conducted for the Ciry wlrich concluded that "a careful analysis of the William Dahl House indicates that the building is in excellart condirion, [and] can be restored to its original design and preserved for a n�ber of adaptive uses"; and WHEREAS, ihe State Depazlment of Adruinistrafion was required by state law to conduct a reuse feasibility sludy of the Dahl House and that 1992 report recognized the significance of the house and recommended that "reuse of the Dahl House be focnsed on incorporating it into a lazger development on the blcek' ; and WI�REAS, the original plaas for the State's new Depuhuent of Revenue building currently under conshuction on the block surrounding the Dahl House called for preservation and reuse of the Dahl House in conjunction with the new building but that outcome is now very uncertain and the State has eacpressed a lack of interest in preserving the Dahl House; and WHEREAS, private individuais and organizations and all levels of govemmem have a shazed responsibility to act as stewazds of ow cultwal heritage for current and firture generations; and CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MlNNESOTA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 il 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 q�-i3aa WHEREAS, continual phmdering of lristoric stcuchues obliterates a sense of place and tristory, diminishes the richness of the built environment, and is imnecessary; NOW, THEREFORE, BE TT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Saint Paul declazes that it is in the public interest and welfaze to preserve historically and arclritectivally significant buildings and to incorporate th� into new developmentprojeots; and BE TT F[TRTHER RESOLVED that the City Council strongly encourages the State of Minnesota to preseive, restore, and reuse the William and Catherine Dahl House on the Department of Revenue site as originally planned and in keeping with the recommendation of the State's 1992 reuse study; and BE TT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Council requests the m;ni�tion to direct staff in PED and LIEP to work with the State of Minnesota towards this end. Requested by Department of: Certi£ied by Council Secretary ss= y �� a i--� �. ,� / Appraned by Mayor: Date i✓ �21�7— By: i �_�� '� � / �— By: Form Approved by City Attorney By: Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council By: Adopted by Council: Date��_5 ��'� o��r 30. iss7 I GREEN SHEET Jerry Blakey 6R611 .:...�-�^a TOTAL � OF SIGNATURE PAGES q� �t��— No 606�1 U oo.e,�n ewEnae U anca.o� — ❑ arcwrroiwtv ❑ arvaaK _ ❑wuxeu�awweFSO�c ❑rwxo��aaxvi.�ero ❑wva+etq�4aaanwn ❑ (CLJP ALL LOCATIONS FOR SiGNATURE) Encouraging the State Departmem of Revenue to find a good reuse of the Dahl house and also encoivaging Minnesota Mutval to consider the possibility of incozporating the Cazdozo building into Sts new project. PLANNING COMMISSION CIB COMMfTTEE CIVIL SERVICE CAMMISSION rara� aawurrr oF TnaeisnenoH s qSONAlSERVICE CONiRACTS MUS� ANSWER TNE FOLLAWiN6 QUESSIONSi Fles tn�s personlBrm everworicea urMe. a coMract ror fhic tlepartmenn VES NO tiea Uis aeBOMrm e�er tcen a ciry dnpoyee9 YES NO Dces Mts parsoNGm1 pmees6 a Slall not namallypoacessetl by any Wnent dty emplOyee7 YES NO IaMiapereonlfirmafatg�etivatWOYl � . YES NO cosrmEV�ue euocerEC laac� owq �i�:P NNDING SOURCE AGTIVIT' NUMBER 1NONCWI MFORMnTON IEtPINN) Council File # �[�—i!�aa RESOLUTION NT PAUL, MINNESOTA Presented Referred To Green Sheet # GO L � � Committee Date � 1 WHEREAS, historic preservation and new development aze comparible pariners and both aze importaut to the ealth, vitality 2 and welfaze of the city; and 3 WHEREAS, Saint Paul's history is strong part of the city's identity and physical evidence of that his ry enriches the city's 4 neighborhoods and downtown; and S WHEREAS, growth and new development are also essential to the ciry's healtYi, yet historic ildings and sites are too often 6 viewed as obsolete and expendable in order to accommodate new development; and 7 WHEREAS, examples of historic buildings that have been integrated with new evelopment, some of which had been 8 threatened with demolition, include the Jackson Street Shops at Empire Build Pazk, the Landmark Center, the McColl 9 Building adjacent to Galtier Plaza, Blair House and Hill Piaza at Selbyf Weste , the Como Shops (Bandana Square, etc.) in 1 Q Energy Pazk, and the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis; and ll WHEREAS, rivo buildings of historical significance, the Dahl House d the CardozoBremer Building, are now tiireatened 12 demolition; and 13 WHEREAS, the William and Catherine Dahl House at 13 irteenth Street was constructed in 1858, is listed on the 14 National Register of Historic Places, and is historically si ificant as the last surviving residence in the once-residenrial 15 Lowertown atea (that area which developed atound the L er Landing), as the oldest structure in the State Capitol area, as 16 a raze e�unple of a Greek Revival style residence, and an eapression both of the growth and change of Saint Paul over the 17 past 139 years and of modest, working class housin at was most common in Saint Paul; and 18 WFIEREAS, architectural hastorian Jef&ey Hes as written that the Dahl House is "the best surviving example of the city's 19 modest, one-story frame houses of the 185Qs", and '.0 WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Cou 1 passed a resolution in 1476, when the Dahl House was also threatened by 1 demolition, recording "its intent to in tigate all avenues of preserving this historic structure on its present site", which 2 resolution led to a reuse feasibility s y conducted far the Ciry which concluded that "a cazefui analysis of the William Dahl 3 House indicates that the building ' in excellent condition, [and] can be restored to its original design and preserved for a 4 number of adaprive uses' ; and i WHEREAS, the State D artment of Administration was required by state law to conduct a reuse feasibility study of the i Dahl House and that 19 report recognized the significance of the house and recommended that "reuse of the Dahl House ` be focused on inco rating it into a lazger development on the block' ; and WFIEREA�fhe original plans for the State's new Department of Revenue building cutrently under consiruction on the block sunounding the Dahl House called for preservation and reuse of the Dahl House in conjunction with the new building but that outcome is now very uncertaiu and the State has expressed a lack of interest in preserving the Dahl House; and WHEREAS, private individuals and organizarions and all leveis of government have a shazed responsibility to act as stewazds 1 of our cultural heritage for current and future generafions; and q�-►�� WHEREAS, the Cazdozo Fumiture Company Building (a.k.a. the Bremer Tower) at 82 East Seventh Place was designed by Ellerbe Architects, was constnxcted in 1931, and is architecturally significant as an example of a mid-rise Art Deco sTyle building; and 5 WHEREAS, Minnesota Mutual plans to demolish the Cazdozo Building as part of its new building project; and 6 WHEREAS, incorporation of ffie Cazdozo Building into Minnesota Mutual's project would preserve an 7 si�ificant building and add to the richness of the urban fabric in downtown; and / 8 WHEREAS, many if not most of the historic buildings in the center of downtown have been cle ed by urban renewal, 9 resulting in a loss of character and an historic sense of place; and 10 W HEREAS, continual plundering of historic shuctures obliterates a sense of place and hi ry, diminishes the richness of 11 the built environment, and is unnecessary; 12 NOW, 'I'HEREFORE, BE TT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Saint Pa declazes that it is in the public interest 13 and welfaze to preserve historically and architecturally significant buildings and incorporate them into new development 14 projects; and 15 BE TT FITI2THER RESOLVED that the City Council strongly encoura s the State of Minnesota to 16 preserve, restore, and reuse the William and Catherine Dahl House on th epartment of Revenue site as originally planned 17 and in keeping with the recommendation of the State's 1992 reuse s y; and 18 BE TT TiJRTAER RESOLVED that the Council strongly encoura es Minnesota Mutual to cazefully consider the possibility 19 of incorporating the Cardozo Building (or at least its facades) ' its new project; and 20 BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Council directs city 21 Minnesota Mutual towuds these ends and to include rec 22 guidelines being prepazed by the City for the Minnesota�Gtu ' in PED and LIEP to work with the State of Minnesota and on of the Cazdozo Building's significance in the desi� project. Requested by Department of: Bostrom Collins Harris Mega Morton Thune Adopted by Councilf' Date Adoption � by CouncIl 5ecretary Approved by Mayor: Date � Form Approved by Ciry Attorney � Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council � � `��-13a�- CTTY OF SAINT PAUL Norm Coleman, Mayor 2 October 1997 Mr. Julio Fesser, Manager, Space Planning Minnesota Mutual 4U0 North Robert Street Saint Paul, MN 55101 Deaz Mr. Fesser: HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION do LIEP Telepi�ne: 612-2669087 350 Saint Peter Strea #300 Facsimile: 611-2669099 Snint Paut, Minnesota 55702-IS10 The Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) of the City of Saint Paul briefly discussed, at its October 25, 1997 meeting, your new building project in downtown Saint Paul. The commission voted 10 - 0 to send a letter strongly encouraging you to incorporate the historic Cardozo Furniture Company Buiiding (a.k.a. the Bremer Tower) into the project. While commission members aze very pleased about your new building and what it means for downtown Saint Paul, we also believe that historic preservation and new development aze compatible partners and together enhance, in this case, the vitality and special qualities of downtown Saint Paul. It is important to preserve and reuse the Cazdozo Building both because of its azchitectural significance and because of the contribution it makes to the urban fabric of downtown. The building was designed by Ellerbe Architects, was built in 1931, and, according to the 1983 Saint PauURamsey County Historic Sites Survey, is eligible for the Nationai Register of Historic Places. It is a significant Art Deco style building that has lost its Inster but has great potentia] for rehabilitation. The most significant intact features are the brick bas relief friezes at the top, and the typicalty bold and simple horizontal soIdier courses beriveen floors and the vertical bands between window bays. Some significant details, including the base and the banding on windows and spandrels, have been removed but could be replaced (see the enclosed historic photograph for a glimpse of the missing window and spandre] detail which appears to be similaz to ihat found on our Ciry HaillCourthouse building). (Aiso please note that the original 1931 drawings of the Cardozo Building are at Ellerbe Becket in Minneapolis; they show details such as sandblasted prism glass ventilators at the mezzanine level which are visible in the hisYoric photograph.) The Cazdozo Building is also important in the context of 3ate 1920s and 1930s Art Deco buildings in downtown Saint Paul, of which there aze eleven extant ranging in size from smaii to large. The Ellerbe fum designed not only the Cardozo Building but also the magnificent City HalUCourthouse and the N.S.P. Building (now occupied by Ecoiab) at the southeastem corner of Wabasha and East Fifth stceets. While the Cazdozo $uilding is, indeed, I believe, uchitecturally significant and worthy of preservation, it is not a landmazk building of the most pivotal quality or character. Adding to the building's importance, however, is the role it plays in the urban fabric of downtown. Historic and azchitecturally distinguished bui3dings enrich the city, delighY the eye, tell the story of the city's development and Mr. Jalio Fesser 2 October1997 Page Two people, and help to create a sense of ptace that is, in part, roated in history. The preservation and incorporation of the Cazdozo Building into your project would provide a nice complexity, character, and richness to your project and to the downtown fabric and sVeetscape. We know too well the legacy of urban renewai clearance; more often than not it is btand and soulless buildings, glaces, and streetscapes that obliterate a sense of place anc3 history. The Cazdozo Buildiag is at the edge of the core of downtown that was lazgely cleared for redevelopmeni since the late 1950s. If one stands at t[ie comers of Sixth and Minnesota and Sixth and Robert, the southem corners of the planned new development, one sees in ait directions mostiy bland, chazacterless, modem buildings that do faz too little to entiven the streets and enrich the city; one sees few, if any, historic buildings. While the core of downtown is framed by the beautiful, historic areas of Lowertown and Rice Pazk, the core iueff has lost many wonderful historic buildings. I would encourage you to carefully consider the feasibitity of incorporating the Cazdozo $uiiding into your project. A second to last resort, short of outright demolition, would be to incorporate only the two street-facing facades into the new projeci (known as facadism or facadectomy). I would expect some to say that the need for pazking simply requues clearance of the entire block; I would encowage you to carefully consider the options. As HPC Vice-Chair Chazles Skrief said at last week's HPC meeting, the Cazdozo Building is a quintesseniial Saiat Paul bnilding and to save it is what distinguishes Saint Paul from our neighbor, Minneapolis. Please call me at 296-1273, or the HPC staff person, Aazon Rubenstein, at 266-9087, if you would like to discuss this issue. I would also 2ike to iavite yov to attend the October 23, 1997 meeting of the HeriTa$e Preservation Commission. Sincerely, � �� Tracey Baker, air Heritage Preservation Commission cc: Mayor Coleman City Councilmembers John Lund, Minnesota Mutual George Fremder, Minnesota Mutual Cazl Remick, Architeetural Alliance Tom DeAngelo, Architecturat Alliance Dennis Mulvey, McGough Construction Robert Kessler, LIEP Pam Wheelock, PED Lucy Thompson, PED Mazgot Fehrenbacher, PED Bill Morin, Port Authority Mary Netson, CapitotRiver Councit . -: i ��: .• 14 •�� : i r S � ' y� f'� . pk • 7 .�il C.? i. l r ' . tl f `'. :r �i� :;{' .;, . a �`:. r� : :'•, �.� . ' ! :� � j . .i • E: ,,� ��: :- _ y . '} �� • �7 �•. :�� .Z' ; ; , I � ` :> � � ii✓� �J,. �n✓i - :1-.:. � Y a 9 OFFSCE OF LICENSE, II3SPECT{ONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEC170N Robe�t Kessle� Disecto� CITY OF SAINT PAUL Norn+Coleman, Mayor FAX MEMO To: From: Governor Arne CarLson JAWRYPROFESSIONAL BUILD7NG Suite 300 350 St Peter Street Safnt Panl, Mweesota 55101-I510 Lt. Governor Joanne Benson MHS Director Nina Archabal DOA Commissioner Elaine Hansen CAAPB Exec. Sect. Nancy Stark fax: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation staff tel 256-9087 fas 266-9099 Date: 25 September 1997 Totai pages including cover memo: 3 296-2089 296-2089 296-1004 297-7909 296-6718 q � -►�lY Telephone: 612-266-9090 Facsimi(e: 6t2-266-9U99 Message: Attached is a resolution passed this evening by the City of Saint Paul's Heritage Preservation Commission which addresses the importance of the threatened Dahl House and encourages you to preserve and reuse it, on site, as part of the Department of Revenue project. Please contact me, or the Chair of the Heritage Preservation Commission, Tracey Baker (she can be reached at 296-1273 or the letterhead address), if you wish to discuss this matter. cc: Mayor Coleman City Councilmembers Robert Kessler, LIEP Director Pam Wheelock, PED D'uector Preservation Alliance of Minnesota Dennis Gimmestad, SHPO/MI3S °(� ��'� CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION RESOLUTION FILE NUMBER 97-1 DATE 25 September 1997 W�iEREAS, the William and Catherine Dahl House at 136 Thirteenth Street was constructed in 1&58 (with an historically compatible 1886 reaz addition and an historically incompatible 1962 reaz addition); and WHEREAS, the Dahl House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is historically significant as the ]ast surviving residence in the once-residential Lowertown azea (that azea which devetoped around the Lower I,anding), as the oldest struciure in the State Capitol azea, as a rare example of a Greek Revival style residence, and as an expression both of the growth and change of Saint Paul over the past 139 yeazs and of modest, warking class housing that was most common in Saint Paul; and WHEREAS, the building may appeaz today to the uninformed eye to be unremarkabie, dilapidated, and of little or no value but actually has great value and potential for resYoration; and FVHEREAS, architecturai historian Jeffrey Hess has written that the Dahl Aouse is "the best surviving example of the city's modest, one-story frame houses of the 185Qs", that "well articulated examples of the Greek Revival are extremely rare among surviving St. Paui buildings", and that: At first glance, the Dahl House does not look like a building worth fighting for. Its unassuming appeazance, however, is the key to its historical importance. The building graphica]ly illustrates the sQeed and simplicity of most antebellum residential construction in St. Paul. Over the years, the Dahi House has been altered ... but the original, 1850s, gable-roofed section is still cleazly visibie; and WHEREAS, it is imgortant to preserve, in addition to Summit Avenue mansions of the wealthy, evidence of the lives and history of common people; and WI�REAS, the State Department of Administration was required by state law to conduct a reuse feasibility study of the Dahl House and that 1492 report recognized the significance of the house and recommended that "reuse of the Dahl House be focused on incorporating it into a larget development on the block';and WHEREAS, the Dahl House was nearly demolished in ihe mid-1970s to provide space for underground gas storage tanks, survived twenty more yeazs, and was then Lo be incorporated into the State Department of Revenue building project currenfly being constructed on the block but that outcome now appears uncertain; and WHEREAS, the 1977 National Register nomination reported the condition of the Dahl House to be exceilent though it now appeazs to be significantly deteriorated due to lack of maintenance and protection, and Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission ResoIution File #97-1 Page Two WHEREAS, preservation and development often make good partners where there is the wi11, and continual ptundering of historic artifacts and structures obtiterates a sense of piace and history, diminishes the richness of the built environmettt, and is unnecessary; and WHEREAS, moving the Dahl House away from its original location would significantly detract from the buiIding's historic value; part of its historic significance is its location and moving it to a residential neighborhood that developed later in time would resutt in a confusing and inappropriate context; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Heritage Preservation Commission eRCOUrages, in the strongest way possible, Govemor Carlson, Lieutenant Govemor Bensoa, Departmeni of Administration Commissioner Hansen, Minnesota Historical Society Director and State Historic Preservation O�cer Archabal, and Capitot Area Architectural and Ptanning Boazd Executive Secretary Stark to preserve, restore, and rease the William and Catherine Daht House on the Department of Revenue site as originally planned and in keeping with ihe recommendatioa of the State's 1992 reuse study; and BE TT F'URTHER RESOLVED that the Heritage PreservaUon Commission of the Ciry of Saint Paul offers whatever assistance it can toward the preservation and reuse of the Dahi House; and $E TT FINALLY RESOLVED that Lhe Heritage Preservation Commission reminds these disYinguished $tate officers that it is the responsibility of the state, as for all levels of govemment, to provide stewardship of historic properties and resources for current and future generations. MOVED BY Skrief SECONDED BY Hazgens IN FAVOR 10 AGAIl�IST 0 ABSTAIN 0 W a m w � 6 a � 6 z 'a N Y N i V j x i �. � Y r ^ t� � � N � v � � � �: � T'�"� • � .� � . _ ` O-: '+,r� � � -r � � ^ � � � � '�i/ p"'1 . �.:' y ' _' _ O� mG 9 r A C � m � 4 G � � i � m � m O —ac n�y %a— �— a ° o t�L F t 3 Ts ' c dO i��. �" � L O � N � � O �O �y o j 'y . ir ��p 0. .� y �3 EEe"' ..,p mv m: iy o �6 = y d f' _� W y C y O Q �O y�Y 4 y6 N C9 d d �WVI � s� `�9a3�o .`� d>.`�oo > 0 ia�' m 3 ..�.`o �s c �°�' 6�i.�n O:r G d 6v.'i��T t m � Y'> W � R �O o�c� EcG°E� b 0 � 0 V � W � } W 4 R ." % . L� d i' 3 f�^ E� �" a�" y o p � E w� c ` � � _ � d 0.'� � q y w�+u cm4y ' > Qi ��d g Q B[C sa,>�..j�q� SLOO ��9��OW[Y. L d �__ °i�e°a` W'S� ^1 3 0 y R w � L y} O $ F V W O r� tia° ''0.' 0 ' = �d o v a E p .� y c ° c m""E d v E3 >.'_ dv 3:: a. m C y y a+ = u v:°.`°°eC m A N 3� � F W N N A y � s=.. . mma��e °p s e � a N�Crr 3'mv E �a. ca� m � y�a d:v a�i'L�m py �nsuc`E am...; k.b-'>ma� �+m�o� c n`a`°i"aS.o-°-otcxi a�� o c�ia� d o�� o ,g 9 � � � > .. ,� < .. o ..a��Qi�� a C O Y " R o��mawvd�°z� � U C = y��Qi 4 ` V� d 9 � F" N�' N� 3 y 0. O u � L 'e -� y ;a'"m" m`� o C m w— � E y i°°a Z u.c � a '>-0 N m��O v � � � X•�� a g .�' ��•� 0 � •_ � � •� 3 h 0 3 O � e G�� .131�' mmx qEc F +�.r G 3 y' C .�. V � p dam yd U a � �a� �d� � ,., o'E m m u� � ;rsd m � Q�� >AI�i PnIL PIO�EER PRE5S q �1-��'� REVENU� ♦ CONiINUEOFROM IB town and unavailable for com- ment. "IYs important to the city's re7ationship mith the state and a great coatributar to our increasing urban vitality." "We are ezcited that the new revenue facility wi3f remain m St. Paul," said Administratioo Com- missioner Elaine Hansen. "The pro}ect location represents the SWte of Minnesota's and ihe Cip; oE St. PauPS long-term develop- ment plans to tie the State Capitol complex and downtown business d'utrict more dosely together." "I thiak it's probably a good de- cision from the standpoint oE pea ple taking buses," said Donita Haack, head of a hfinnesota :1sso- ciation of Professional Employees union chapter that includes sever al department employees. A move to Inver Grove Heigkts �rau(d bave required establishing nem Dus routes for commuting employ- ees. The state was unable to reach a purcLase agteemeat with Trooien for the building they are leasing. It offered a maximam of $23 mif- lioo for the structure that state afiicials said need extensive re- modeling to accommodate new tecAnology aed space needs. "S don't know that Ym the loset. 1 thmk the tazpayers ot Minnesoca are Ne tosers;' said Trooien. He said the state could have pur- chased and remodeled his building ac a total cost of 540 million to Si: mi11i0n, saving taxpayers more than E30 million. The state, hoRever, dispute8 those figures and was under a tegislative man- da:e to gi��e preference to She Cap- itol site. Trooien sa�d he wil! seek ne� tenants for [he building. The option o[ building in the CapitoS complex sudaced in the citc s legisia[ive delegation, who were alarmed over tne possi6fe move to Inver Grove Heigh[s. Spearhead by Sen. Richard Cohen, a DFI.er who chairs a key state gorernment finance committee, tAe delega[ion rounded up biparti- san support to designate a Capitol tocatsan as the preferred site. A macimum ot g)5 mlllion }cas ap- propriated. A:ter reviewing three proposals, a usk force of state agencies se- lec[ed a glan submitted by Ham- mel Green and Abrahamson Archi- tecu and Ryan Construction. One concetn wa: the preserva- tion of tAe William Dah] House at 336 13th St., a cacant one-story Greek Revival broadside home built in 1856. It is the last remain- ing residence in the city's Lower- town a�ea. Owned by the state, it was placed on the National Regu- ter o( Historic Places in 1918. It was built by William Daht, who came from England to St. Pavi when Dfinnesota was still a tetri- cory. He was a shopkeeper and worked as a cleck, census taker and general agent far the Hudson Bay Co.The father of Archbishop John Ireland atso u�orked on con- structian ot the house. The state proposes to restore it and use it as a tax form center adjacent to the new building, an option it is discussing with the state Historical Society. �� VIONfER �RESS The site for the new Minnasota Revenue DeDartment building is adJacent to tha Dahl Housa at 36 13th St. The architecturalty signiftcant dwefiing, which will be preserved, is the tast reeiCence in tha immetllate area; the father of Archbishop John Irsiand wo[ketl on cnnstructtun of the house. � � � �� FILE: WILLIAM DAAL HOBSE, 136 TAIRTEENTH ST., ST. PAUL Construction of - Revenue building to start t�iis vveek ■ Historic Daht House:Mrill be preserved _ and_ incorporated. into. new structure ' � GARY �AWSON'sra�wwrEa ; S omething v¢ry oid and somettdng brand new will be included in the new state Revenue Department building when constnya tion gets under wap in the Capitol azea this week, Tbe historic Dah( House, an 1858 structure t6at is the last remaining home from Lowertown, St� Pau1's first major resi- dential arna wilI be preserved and incorporated into the rev- enue building°s north entraace plaza. While preserving the old,�the state is ringing in a new era with tt�e first rnnctruclion of aa office building to house state agencies in the Capito! .area since the Administration Building was compteted in 1967. `�'he project s6ows our commitment to the wre cities and to keeping the Capitot complex intact, Gov. Arne Carlson said wLen he announced a gronndbreaking ceremony woald be at 11 a.m. Wednesdap. -- (continuea next page) From: St. P•�:il Pioneer Press, Monday, September 1, 1997 q�.��2-y FILE: _ 4C F WILLIAM DAAL HOUSE� 136 THIRTEENTH ST., ST. PAUL �REVENUE ' '-� CDNTiNUEDFROM iC "•� 'After 30 years of agencies eait- �:ing the azea to lease or buiid need• '��-ed larger offices elsewhere, Yhe ';;'.�building is the first structure to be ••,,,�: built in the Capitot comples tmder :� aa master plan nnveiled in 1994. In `�� that plan, Carlson and the Admin- °��isEration DeparLment ptoposed :::. the CapiWi the focus of • �+':4uture state government construc- "_tion. ._ But until this pear, the Legisla- .�: ttire balked at the idea. Renting or •�•. building outside the Capitol azea �;,; has Deen a cheap, popular alterna- ., .Gve to complying svith tpe p,apen. .�_�sive desi�n regulations goveraing `coastructson in the historic Capitol - yope. - - When the Revenue Department ':' decided !o move aut of its cunent •�-headquarters at 10 River Place — ``: across the Mississippi River from ";;,�.downtown St. Paul — bq Novem- _^ber 1998, S� Paal legislators won MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1997, a hard-fought battle in the 1997 legislative session to keep the agency in the city. The four-story building housing 1,200 employees will be located immediately north of Interstate 94 betweea Robert and Jackson streets. • It will include a 941-car parking ramp to the wesi across Robert Stteet and north of Columbus Ave- nue, adjacent to the Ceatennial The building is the �irst stcucture to be buitt in the Capitol complex uader a master pian unveiled in 1994. Building Parking Ramp. A 50- space pubiic parking lot wili be located north of the IIa1il House and the affice bui(ding, with 13ih Street being vacated. State officials are discussin& a proposal ta use the house as a tourist information center for the Capitol area. The state-owned home is a va- cant one-story Greek Revival broadside built in 1858 by William Dahl. Emigrating from England to SG Paul when the state mas still a territory, he was a shopkeeper, census taker, derk and a genera] agentfor the Hudson Bay Co. One of the partners of the home's building contractor, Rich- ard Ireland, was the father of Archbishop John Ireland. The state proposes to raise t6e house seven feet to make iY level with the first floor of the Revenue Building and temove a 1962 din- ing-recreatiun room additioa that is not consistent with Yhe original architecture. The home was origi- nalty a 20-by.30-foot structure. A kitchen added in 1886 would be kept. The house was placed on the Na[ional Register of Historic Places in 1978. From: St. Paul Pioneer Press, t9onc�ay, Seotemb?r 1, 1947 SI.PP�U� p1oNEER- P�SS, 9�1�•57, FP•IR,4A Historic ho«se se�ks shelter iii b�lr�aucratic �tarnl �ARRY M�ILETi s:ur aau[a P'S.s hisforic monomenls go, thc U'�Iliam Deh{ housc on Ilth Strce[ in St. Paul uill necer 6e eon(used uith Ne Taj M1Sahal. Exr.pt for a{eu teiltale Jetails, the stucro-Nad, one-story house might udi pass toC a 195US-eintagc bungalow somchow mamuned in lSc shadon of ihc SW[e CapiLOl. . Yet beneath its many layers ut remodeling. ihc housc liaz a ton� and fascinu(ing history lfiat goes ali ihc uay back to 7858, tlie } 1Sin- nesota became a statc. It x�as Luil� tor Dahl, an Englisb immigran[. and fiis irish wife, and is descrilxJ Ly SL Yaul 6uWrian .lamcs Sazecich as "a umyue Is��losic resoutce" in lhe C1�VlUi �iCB. :�ow, hox�cvcr, this unassuming and unlikely urUan survivor hzs become tLe cenlerpi�re af a moun4 ing presen•aLOm m�troceay. r1i issue is x�hclhcr thc long- vacant house, owned by the state , HOUSE cor.u::um w+ 4A � TTe Dehl Houae, datlny to 1858, Ii "e YniquO �IB- totic rosourco.'• aays St. Paul hIs- fo�lan /ames Sa- zerlch. But the CaDitol•aroa landmark may �are to De movoE or Eomol- IMaE fo make way tor a new 370 mlUlon build- tn¢ Galne con• structod tortho Minnewte Revo- mo Dopartmon2. PIQIIEER PRE55 H��-Iistoric bu�ld:�g's fa�e �ow u��ertain ♦ CoNrwuFA vRW u sincc 7972, should bc inwrporated into a nem t10 million building being construcb ed for the ldianrsoW Revenue Depart- menL U tLe house, wMch is listed on the National Rcgistcr oF Historic Places, isn't induded in tbe Revenue Department project, theo it uill either have to be mwed or. more likely, demolished. Tbose possibilities do not set we7l with preservalionisLs like Sazevich, who has 9pCpl yeats documenting the Dahl house's history. '4 think it would make a perfect liitle �ffice tor oue of We smallet state agen- •iev," he says. 'YCs chazmiag. 1t's }ast he right humaa scale." As o( ualy CRO weeks ago, the house �as in tact ioctnded'io architects' plans x the new Revenue Building. Since iea, the house seems tu have disap- eaced from those p3ans, for reasous that ren't entirely dcar. Elaine HaaSCa, state administration +mmissioner, says lhe problem is that ere is no money in tbe budget to re� xe and adapt the house, which by one chiteMY eslimale rnvid cost as much i{00.000 — a figure Sazevich contends 8rosstq infSated. This is w6ere the situation becomes uusing. Hansen uys the project Dud- : dces include 5350,000 to'•protect" t�c iae trom danuge mhite the Revenue tlding is going up directly bchind it. 'et the state has only now begun to IerWce a study, with t6e fdinneSOW Wrical Society, to detetmiae wpetker Uie Dousc can in tact bc reuscd on lhis S{LC. So why has the sWle budgcteJ §350,000 to "protecP' a propefty it is nul even sure it Las a use tot? liansen says lhc sW tc is simply foliox•- ing the letter of thc la�r as it applica to designated historic 7roperties. LA Gov. Joanne Benson, trho chairs Ihe Capita! Atca Architectutal and Ptanning Board, is less cerWm a6out aiwt ttie $350,00� is inteuded Lar, sa�mg, "1 don't tiunk there's a clear unde:star.�ling of Utat situaUon." Nonetheless, Benson says she does 5upport Nc reusc s:udy. What is clear is that the Revenue De- partment projcet is moving forward at warp speed, xitL Ihe nea• 100,000-square- foot building scheduled to open by ha vember 1998, m4en tde department must vacate ifs current headquarlets on thc A'est Side nvcrtront. Tlils tast construction pace may heip explain w�h}� the tate of the Dakl lmuse scems to have become such a last-miaute cansidcration. AMthe[ problem is Shat the houx is a bureaucraGC orphan Shat no state agency wishes ta claim as its oa�n. StaLc-ow�ncd properues, Wstoric or not, normalty arc under the contrnl of a specitic deparG ment. But thc Dahl House, for somc rca- son, is owned by thc ;tatc Sn general, and so far no ageney or �eparUncnt has vol- unteered to take on the expense of restor- ing and mainWining it. Nor is Wcrc any doubt that thc house nceds some sigriiIIcant mstoralion 6e- youd the iuuc af its potcr.tiat usc. The Lousc has�txo�additions, usually high stonc basement (thc house was raised in thc 1DDOs to accommodale a gradc change) and u likcly have to 6e raised ano�hcr seven tmt to fit m w•it4 U�e Revenue DeQartment pto}ect. Thcre arc also qucctians a: W how mucL of the l�euse is in facl original.One state archLLCCturat adviser [hinF;s that on- ly aboul 15 perecnt ot whaCs 3ett in lhe Louse dates to thc 1850s, an assessment Sauvic6 vigorously disputes. \fcanuhile, kiaosen noees thal prescr- vationists havc had more than 20 yean to offer a wori:ablc p7�n for reusing Wc house but so far "no one has stepped forxard" Sazwich, howeveq contends the 5tate lias made 3ittic or no efiort ovcr the ycan to find a suiWble usc tor the prop- crtv. 5o pas5ionate is SazeviCL about the house that he Las even put together a "top 12° list of rcasons it should be pt� scrved. Among them: The 6ouse is the oldest survir�m6 stmc(ure in the SWte Capitol arw; iPS one of lhe 20 oldrst houses any�nc�rc in S4 Paul; it was 6vilt by Richard Ireland, father of Johp Ire� land, ihe famed archbishop of SL Paul; and, perdaps musl �mpartanE, the houtc is an cxccllent exampte ot tke kind o[ modest dweliing thc �carl;ing penple ot St. Paul — as opposed W the naDobs of Surnmit Ave�me — once lived in. Itut as construction moves iuexorab1y foru•ard an the new Revenue Bnilding, pressure to remove thc house seems like- ly to grow, in which casc it may finallq becomc a house x a home. ��. � Y� �� , l ��,y St. Paul weighs merits - and #ate - of 1858 house By Curt Brown Star?riGune Stnjf l9'riter Bulldozers rumble around the 139-pear- old 11'illiam Dah! House, the last ti+•orking- class cottage left from the thrivingSt. Paul immigranc neighborhood slo�+�ly consumed by the spreading State Capito! complex Some ten�ent presen�ationists, including Daht's 86-cear-oid great-grandson, hope cheir cties to save the simple Iittle house can be heard over the roar otthe earth-mo��ing equipment preparing the way for the state Reeenue Department's new 570 miliion home, scheduled to open next year. ' But they're worried. Awfutly i+�orried. Gov. Arne Carlson called the Dahl House "ug}y" at the Revenue Building ground- breaking last month. He joins a group of state bureaucrats, architects and histozians, induding'.lacalester College Prof. David Ianegran, ti•ho insist that demotishing or mo��ng che oft-remodeled old house i+•ould be no great loss. But last u+�eek a strongly worded resolu• tion seeking to sa��e the Dahl House was approved by the St, Paut Heritage Preserva- tion Commissian. TY�rn fo HOUSf on 84 �Chr�Tt��avur , IU•t.g� ��. 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G u E- a+ .. � ^ " � = e O . � F -e_n.,e=c=°�o� ��c��y�cn��c=cn� � O�VLr�__ n��: 4�.^rV� w L��VULCCIC_� OE �_ __O�VGYV�VI�fVC'C�r'YiynGOFA43n�VV Y '�� c' pu'_ona�.3^�C=��=�ox �$ �.._� �...=o�u=_ `�cE c`�.c= y �S -�� ' ` L6 • i �o� `anas�izl -��+�,5 . . y � � = C .� N � n r `o� .p D � V = O `^- .� � What's Historic About this Site? 7�ie Dahl House: The Last of Old Lvwertown Editor's Note: 77iis is the frrst in a series of arricles on Ramsey Counry's historic sires x=hich will be published in fonh- cor7:ing issues of Ramsey County History. I� ne of the most unlikely of Ramsey Counry's historic sites, for those of us who think of them in terms ofthe mansions ofthe rich, is a one-story, stucco-covered cottage on the edge of the approach to the capitol. Bui the William Dahl house at 136 Thir- teenth Street, deserves its listing on the Nationat Rezister of Hisroric Places as the last survivins residence of the once- residential Lowertown district. William Dahl, who came to Min- nesota Territory from En:land about 1844, was a man of several occupations. Early St. Paul tecords (ist him as a clerk, census taker, shopkeeper and general aLent for the Hudsons Bay Company. In 1857 Aahl purchased a lot on the edLe of Lowertown and around the cor- ner from the sturdy two-story stone structure fur trader Norman Kittson was building onJacksonbetween Twelfthand Thineenth Streets. Dahi completed his wood frame Greek Rivival cotta=e the fo(lowing summer. His contractor was Ireland and Donavan. The "Ireland" in the partnership was Richard Ireland, Nhose son, Jahn, became the first arch- >ishop of St. Paul. The original Dahl house measured wenty by thirty feet with a low-pitched able roof and a fuil basement. As the �ars passed, two additions were made to e house. The first, added around 18$b, cluded a nineteen by sixteen-foot kit- en attached to the rear of the kouse. In �b2 a fifreen by sixreen-foot din- ;hecreation room was added to the kit- '! :n and the entire structure was covered i h stucco. � Wrlliam Dah!'s house {ar�ow) in St. Pau! in 7866-7 jtop photoJ. This view from Mount Airy was taken by Whrtney's Gal�ery, Si. Pau�. Below is the house as it /ooked in 7936. A. F. Raymond photograph. The main livjng rooms for William Dahl and his family were in the basement of their new home. Unheated sleeping quarters occupied the main floor. William lived there only a few months, however. He died of consumption in September, 1858, leavin� his wife, Catherine, who was pregnant with their third child, to sup}wrt the family. Shedid so by [aking in washing. The Dahls' only son, Edward, went into the fumiture business at the age of 13 to help wiih the family's expenses, and he inherited the homestead when his mother died in 1901. By that time Edward had retired from the fumiture business he had operated for twenty-five years and was devoting al1 of his time to serving as a secretary for the St. Pau1 Junior Pioneers. In 1889 he had been a founder of the Pioneers, a civic-minded group �� dedicated to supporting the city's development and preserving its heritage. Edward and his wife, Sophia, lived in Ihe house until the summer of 1936, when he sold it to Roy Patterson. The next year Edward died at the age of 81. The Pattersons remodeled the house ex- tensively and raised their children there before Mrs. Patterson sold the property to the state of Minnesota after her hus- band's death. The state used the house as offices for the criminal system om- budsman. The house still stands as one of ; ihe iast remaining reminders of St. Paul's ' pioneer past. When Edward Dah1 moved from his boyhood home in 1936, he recalled for a newspaper reporter some memories of the years when he and the city were growing up rogether: "There's a lot of sentiment stored away in this house,"he said. "Father died here and so did mother. ... When I was a kid [in the ISbOs], I used to pick hazel nuts up the hil! yonder," he con- tinued, pointin� toward the state capitol, "and across Robert Street were the Tip- perary flats. It was covered with shacks " Kittson's house has long since been demolished, as have all of the other homes that once graced Lowertown, but the home that William Daht built for his family 132 years ago expresses the lifestyle of the common folk of that period. Spr�� I�t°tC 11;;1� ��.� ?�, ;�I�."�k� j -- aa�nsercour+nmsroav n '.< - IPSOTA - ': `. - �t:of - aiion `=-!�:'; �1!�i��i�� i " ! • . � :r ' t' STAiE OF MINNESOTn Department of Administration 1(10 AdmFn".rnr:n B SO Sherbume Avrnue Saint Paul. Mivnaota SSISS C6I21�3862 Mchitatural Design OFFICE OF THE COMMISS[ONER February 12, 1992 'The Honorabie Arne H. Carlson Governor 130 State Capitol Building Patrick E. Flahaven Secretary of the Senate 231 State Capitol BuiIding Edward A. Burdick Chief Clerk House of Representatives 211 State Capitol Building Dear Gentlemen: q �,� , ti'� Building Code Pursuant to Minnesota Laws 1991, Cha�ter 345, Article 1, Section 17, B "'` a '"g �°`""""`°° Subdivision 4, the Department of Adirumstration has completed the study of the Contratting historic renovation and potential reuse of the Dahl House. Data Pnctias Dau Procaang �+D�oYa Assistanx �nBY Conservation �� nta�og�� Infomution Managrnunt m�enrory hiar,asemw�c i.ocal Govttmmml Sys[cros Mmagemrnt Analysis PSast Managemem P+inring & Mailing Pu6lic Documrnts Purthuing Rnl &ute Managwrnt Raords Managemmt Aesourx Raycling Sta[c Bookstott Telecommunicazions Volumeer Servicc The enclosed report represents the department's findings and its recommendations to the Legisiature. Sincerely, A.,.,.. i3. is Dana B. Ba ger w COIIlIl11SSi0 e DBB:WMFi:ns Enclosure �. � � � q � -��1r Table ofi Contents Executive Summary and Introduction Historic Registration Physical tntegrity Reuse and Cost Op�ions East Capitol Area 1991 Architect/Eng�neer's Analysis 1991 Architec#/Engineer's Cost Da#a 1977 Miiler-- Dunwiddie Report �t 977 Nationaf Registry Forms 1974-1976, Excerpts from CAAPB Meetings � C.arolinal' Acknowfedgments � �� , ,�1y February 11, 1992 Executive Summary The Minnesota Legislature directed the Department of Administration in consultation with the CAAPB to study the historic renovation and potential reuse of the Dahl House. In 1977 the Dah1 House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the last surviving residence in Lowertown, an expression of the lifestyle of common people in St. Paul and the change a community experiences over 120 years of growth. Restoration of the Dahl House requires up to 85 percent replacement of the existing structure. Relocation of the building to a corner parcel will allow development of the rest of the block and not restrict long-range strategic planning and development of the East Capitol Area. Once relocated and renovated, the house could be used for one of three functions; a bookstore, an information center, or as an adjunct to a major building. It is recommended that a reuse of the Dahl Flouse be £ocused on incorporating it into a larger develapment on the block. � y ��.1'S Introduction The Laws of Minnesota 1991, Chapter 345, Article 1, Section 17 Subdivision 4, require that "the dapartment of administration consultation with the capitol area architectural and planning board shall study the historic renovation and potential reuse the Dahl House and report to the senate finance and house appropriations committees by February 1, 1992." in of In response to that legislative directive, individual staff members from the following aqencies and firms were a part of the Dahl xouse study and contributed to its conclusions. Department of Administration, Office of Building Construction Division Real Estate Management Division Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Miller/Dunwiddie Architects, Inc. the Commissioner Board (CAAPB) Significant to this study was the realization that past records, historic plats and plans of the Dahl House were still relevant, both from a historical and physical perspective. In 1989 the Department of Administration developed "an overview" of Capitol area properties emphasizing land acquisition and development gotential. In 1990 the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board specifically developed a design framework study for urban development of the east Capitol area. Both studies will be a valuable resource for the comprehensive strategic plan of state properties, particularly the focus on St. Paul and the Capitol area. All of these studies are important to the future of the Dahl House, since its present location is on prime state-owned property destined for redevelopment. There are four separate issues to address in examining the future of the Dahl House. 1. Its historic registration. 2. The physical integrity of the existing structure. 3. A recommended reuse of the facility. a. The impact on the East Capitol Area. q � -�� Reuse structurally the Dahl House has deteriorated to the point that it should be totally renovated. One of the key questions is whether the building has sufficient historical significance to justify a restoration and replication o£ the primary components required to preserve it. The committee discussed the reuse of the facility and determined it could have three potential functions, assuming it were to be renovated. A. A state operated retail outlet, i.e., a book store. B. A state operated visitor information center for the Capitol area. C. An office or conference suite adjunct to a major state building an the block. Since the Dahl House could have a direct ef£ect on the development of several properties in the East Capitol Area, the committee evaluated the potential of moving the building to locations on the present block or to other Capitol area locations that have more architectural exposure. However, a move from its original site may place the historic registry of the Dahl House in jeopardy. That issue would require further review for each relocation site. Another possibility is to have the Minnesota Historical Society form a preservation consulting team to develop an in-depth historic evaluation in keeping with such recent historic "use" studies as the Veblen Farmstead, Tettegouche Camp, Old Main at the University of Minnesota/DUluth and the Sherburne County courthouse, to name a few. The Capital Budget Reform steering committee is concurrently recommending to the Leqislature that the Department of Administration develop a strategic plan for locating state agencies in the metropolitan area. This would include formulation of a master plan for development and use of property in the capitol area and a travel management plan to quide the location of parking facilities in the Capitol area. By renovating and relocating the Dahl Aouse to one of the corners o£ the block it is on, the rest of the block would be available for development and implementation of potential office and parking facilities that may be proposed by the strategic plan and the master plan for the Cagitol area, if apgroved. Moving a renovated Dahl House to the corner of the block provides more flexibility for planning and construction of the rest of the block, while preserving the historical significance oP the house in its Lowertown neighborhood. Once relocated, the house could be used for one of the three functions outlined herein - a bookstore, an information center, or as an adjunct to a major building. To determine other uses a further study by the Historicai Society would be necessary. For maximum fiexibility in development of the block and at the lowest cost to the state, the building could be razed. � � ��. \��'� 1 � Rev Ontions and Estimated Costs � The total area of the original structure is 1,053 square feet on both the main and basement levels with the open porch having an additional 120 square feet, for a total of 2,226 gross square feet. If the Dahl House were renovated, the usable area may be reduced by removal of part or relocation on to a new foundation. The following are key options in the reuse of the Dahl House. ■ Move the Dahl House if the Dahl house were to be moved to a location an the same block, the cost, including a new foundation, would be $20,000. If the Dahl House were moved to other sites in the Capitol area, the increased moving distance and city street fees would increase the cost to $30,000. ■ Restore To excavate and remove the old basement, including foundations, demolish the 1962 dining room addition, provide a new basement, all exterior replication and structural stabilization, the cost is estimated to be $125,000. To completely restore the interior, add $44,000. To provide for leasehold improvements for a specific state tenant add $31,000 as an allowance. To do all items in this category would cost $200,000. ■ Demolish The Dahl House could be razed for an estimated cost of $12,000. ■ A State Historical Preservation Consultinq Team The Historical Society has selected both national and regional historians to participate in past preservation consulting seminars. These '�reuse" studies have averaged in cost from $20,000 to $25,000. . TABLE OE CONTENTS Page I. INTTZODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. GENERAL DESCRIPTION QF THE BUILDING ........ 3 A. DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 B. HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 C. ARCIiITECTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 D. STRUCT'IIRAL ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 E. MECfiANSCAL AND ELECTRICAL ANALYSIS ....... 12 III. RESTORATION PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 A. ADAPTIVE USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 B. RECOb4�lEf3DED Rb'STORATION DATE . . . . . . . . . . 15 C. WORK PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 D. COST OF RESTORATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 E. FI7NDING . . . . ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 F. RECOPII�NDED PRIORIT7ES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 G. PROCEDURE FOR ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 IV. CONCI,USION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 FOOTNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 BIBLIOGRAPFiY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 q �_ 1�� y �� .ti� IV. CONCLUSION In 1865 a photographer stood at the top of Mount Airy and recorded in a series of panoramic views the adolescent city of Sai.nt Pau1. From Dayton.'s Bluff to S�it Hill the city lay beneath him. At the fringe of the residential area, lmown as Lowertown, sunotmded by a fenced pasture, the House appeazs, Today, it is one of the.£ew buildings surviving within the range of those views. This structure provides a unique opportunity to interpret the lives of �the people who foxmed the backbone of Saint Paul. Their lives are saore closely related to the majority of ots present day population than those who built the showQlaces on Ramsey Hi11. As the last surviving residence in Lowertown, the Dahl House can serve to remind the visitor of the importance of that early area. Also by comparison, its surroundings exQress the many changes of the past 119 years. In August of 1970 the Canitol Area Architectural and Plannine Co�mui.ssion presented, to the Legislature, a comprehensive use plan for the �Linnesota State Capitol Area. "The p1an contained four major concepts which form building . blocks for an ordezly growth pattem in the Capitol Area." The restoration program proposed in this report not only follows the guidelines set forth in the comprehensive plan but also highlights the history of early St. Paul and conforms to the proposed use of the area. The William Dahl House, which lies in the shadow of the State Capitol, is a simple and utilitarian design which was so populaz i.n the late 1800's throughout Minnesota. Many similar structures have long since disappeared from the modern and mechanized areas of our cities, victims of the wrecking 31 � a . ball and the bulldozer Saint Paul is fortunate to have this imique ;structure still intact and in restorable condition. A careful analysis o£ the Willizm Dahl House indicates that the �?-1� 32 �building is i.n excellent condition, can be restored to its original design ared �preserved for a n�ber of adaptive uses. But it is not enough to preserve empty buildings as morn�ments to the past. Their ultimate survival and preservation depends upon sound economics and programs for their continued use, although the use may be quite different from its original purpose. Pseliminary study indicates that there are viable alternative uses £or the building. Several possibilities for fundi.ng of the restoration work have been suggested in this rsport. However, it remains for interested citizens, groups and public officials to work out detailed programs and fimding for the preservation of the building. This report has attempted to put into cleazer focus the historical and architectural significance of the William Dah1 House and the role it played in the development of the City of Saint Paul. It is to be hoped that it can con- tinne to serve a useful purpose in the cotmnunity to remind us of our heritage. . i _ � OE' TFiE CITY OF SAINT PAIIL, 1946 23 - SECTION 1 . That the agreement created as of the effective date oE this ordinance between the CiYy of Saint Paui and the above flescribed representative on file in ihe office of the City�Clerk is hereby ap- proved and the authorized administra- tive officials o£ the CitY are hereby authorized and directed to execute said agreement on behalf of the City. SECTION 2 That the wage schedule indicated in the Agreement with the above-de- scribed representative shail take force and effect retroactively to the dates set forth in ihe agreement and in accord- ance with the expressed intent of the agreement of this Council contained in Council File Numbers 262768 and 262851. SECTION 3 That any other ordinance, rule or iegulation in force when said agree- ment takes effect inconsistent with any provisions of the terms or conditions of said agreement is hereby repealed. SECTION 4 This ordinance shall take effect and be in force thirty days after its passage, approval, and publication. Adopted by the Council January 22, 1976. Yeas—Councilmen Christensen, Hunt, Levine. Sylvester, Tedesco, Mr. Presi- dent {Hozza)-6. Nays-0. Approved January 26, 19i6. LAW�ENCE D. COHEN, Mayor. (January 31, 1976) tiE50LUTIONS mittee to study and Yeport on uses ior the Dahl House on its present site which would be reminiscent of and compatible with its historical signifi- cance: and be it Further Resolved, That the committee will also make a determination on How mueh restoration is needed to render the structure useful {ar the Further Resolved, That said commit- tee tivill report its findings back to the City within a period o£ not to eaceed 60 days aftei members are appointed; and be it Further Resolved, ThaE membership en the committee be composed of a rePresentative of each of the £o3lowin� i, the f of the Pau7 City Councii, and the : Mayor's Ot�ice; and be 3t Further Resolved, That the is reauested to annoint as a 31 �in bringing this matter by the Council January 20. 26, 1976. 31, 1976) Council File No. 266655—By Leonard W. Levine— Whereas, Chapter 19 of the Adminis- trative Code requires that the City Council shall each year determine the streets on which trees shall be snain- tained, together with the estimated amount oE service charges to be levied against benefited property for such tree maintenance, and prior to such deter- mination that the Council shall conduct a public hearin� on the pronosed for- Council File No. 2666�19—By David H. Whereas. The Department of Com- Houa— munity Services has presented the �i'hereas, The Dahl House, located at proposed 1976 fore52ry maintenance 136 Thitteenth Street in Saint Paul, Program for Council consideration; built. in Yhe same year that iYIinnesota now, there£ore, be it becamc a statc. is one o£ the few Resolved, That the Council of thc remaining houses as old as the state; Cit,y of Saint Paul does hereby declare and a public hearing shall 'be he]d on the ��'hereas, The Dahl I-Souse is one of a 17Yh day of February, 3976, beiore the verp few exampSes remaining of a. City Council for the purpose of con- residence of the "common man" to sidering the approval of the 19?G surcice from the pioneer era of St. £orestry maintenance pro�ram, and Paul; and the City Clerk is hereby d�rected io l�'hereas, The Minnesota Aistorical publish the prescribed notice in a le�ai Sociexy has Sound that the Dahl House newspaper at least ricice, the last possesses historical si�nificance ior al] publication bein� no less 3han one the City of St. Paul and that it merits ��eek prior to Yhe public hcaring, a presercation, ii at all possible on its copy of the approved notice bein� at- present site; and tached hereto. R'hereas. The Capito] Area Archi- Adopted by the Council Januarp ?�. tectur2l and Planning Board has ioundl tha2 ;he house, on its nresent sitc.'� Approved January 2G, 1�:6. �souid ha�•c no adverse eiSects on the fJanuary 31, 19ifi Master Pian Sor the Capitol area: and� �t'hereas. The house is o�cned by the � State o£ 111innesota, and is intended Lo � Council Fi7e No. 266&56—By Leonard A'. be aemolished ior use bp the state Levine-- motor pool; no�c, therefore, be it Resolved. That the Council oi the Resolved. That the St. Paul Citr Cii�• of Saint Paul hereby ratifies and Council records its intent to im�esti�ate appro�•es the action of the City of Saint all acenues o£ preservin� this historic ; Pau] Board o£ Appeals and Review per- structure on its present siTe• and be it I tainin� to the £ollou•in� listed propert}• Furiher Resolved, That the Council � and as shotvn bY the Escerpted Min- requests Yhe Mayor to appoint a com- � utes of said Board of Appcals and q ' 1 .��`'� _\ THE MINNESOTA MUTUAL LIFE INSUflANCE COMPANY 400 RoBErri STREEf Noattf S7. Pnu4 MN 5510b2098 Pn 612/665-3437 �'F{;�I`Y =� OFrl�_ C= _,=�' ��cc�2o �:-;if��6 I(ein� M. Ca�faeEu V� Ppesiowr October 17, 1997 Ms. Tracey Baker, Chair Heritage Preservation Commissi�n City of St. Paul 350 St. Peter Street #300 St. Paul, MN 55102-1510 Dear Ms. Baker: � �.8' `� � 1 J O� � MINNESOTA MUTUA� A variety of Minnesota Mutual people received your October 2, 19971etter regarding the Bremer Tower (formerly Cardozo Building). Initially, we are building space for an additional 2,000 new employees. In approximately 2010, we prabably will build again on that biock to handle our growth needs through 2020. The second construction phase would house about 1,500 new employees. After a great deal of thought, discussion, and planning, we feel Minnesota Mutual's need for expansion space through 2020 requires a full city block. Several months ago the City of St. Paul and the St. Paul Port Authority approached Minnesota Mutual with a proposal to provide that block to us sometime in early 1998 following the demolishing of all eacisting, mostly vacant stnxctures on the site. The City and other members of the public sector have worked diligently finding ways to accoi�une�date our significan: expansion needs over the next twenty years. Frankly, their response made St. Paul a competitive location relative to other altematives Minnesota Mutual was considering. We have e�ensively discussed your requests with our architects, the contractor, our Site Selection Committee and members from the public sector (HRA, the City and the Port Authority). We see no alternative where all, or parts, of the Bremer Tower can be part of our plan. While we think highly of the goals of the Commission, and have respect for the work you are doing, for a variety of reasons we believe we need an entire block without any e�sting structures on it. October 17, 1997 Page Two Regarding your comments on the architectural value of urban renewal, we want to assure you we will act responsibly to design and build a building of superior quality. Our current building on 400 North Robert Street is not "bland or soulless," at least in our eyes. In fact, we have been told by many people that our eacisting building was an excellent addition to St. Paul and that the public spaces are interesting additions aY street level as well as for skyway visiYOrs. We will endeavor to bring in a building of value which will add to the character and richness of our central city. We certainly regret any philosophical conflict this creates for your advisory commission. Our intent now is to build upon the strengths of our currenT building and develop an expansion facility that is equally successful and of value to the downtown azea. Sincerely, � e�h pbell ' � Chairman of the Site Selection Committee KC/ttn cc: 7ulio Fesser, Minnesota Mutual George Fremder, Minnesota Mutual 7ohn Lund, Minnesota Mutual Mayor Coleman City Council Members Carl Remick, Architectural Alliance Tom DeAngelo, Architecturai Alliance Dennis Mulvey, McGough Construction Robert Kessler, LIEP Pam Wheelock, PED L Thompson, PED iVti:iavt F�°.�iiP^vh.v.C1i�°.i� P�•T�l Bill Morin, Port Authority Mary Nelson, Capital River Council